He Helped Me When Nobody Else Would - Natsu x Yukino (NaYu)
by CourTrain
Summary: After joining Fairy Tail at Natsu's request after the GMG, Yukino begins to develop feelings for our favourite pink-haired Dragon Slayer. Will she be able to win his heart, or will Lucy steal it back from her? Are her strong feelings for him... mutual?
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note: Hello Everyone! This is a Natsu x Yukino fic, which is another one of my favourite pairings in FT. I always thought that when Natsu stuck up for Yukino that it was really sweet of him, and I always wondered what could've come to fruition after that event. Did Yukino catch feelings for him? The fic follows the events immediately after the Dragon Festival/ GMG, right around when Yukino joins Sabertooth (or does she?). Also, if any of you didn't know or are interested in this pairing, I have written a NaWen (Natsu x Wendy) fanfic, so if that interests you maybe go check it out please? I have no idea how long this is going to be, since it was a fic that I thought about writing about halfway through my last fic, and I get a lot of my ideas in school or just freewriting and letting my ideas pour out, which is how I've developed my style which I feel is pretty effective as far as creativity goes. Anyways, enjoy!**

Chapter 1: My Dragon in Shining Armour

"Listen, Yukino, we're all really sorry about how we treated you after your match. We should've stuck up for you, but we didn't. However, we're going to rebuild Saber from the ground up, and we want you to join us. What do you say, Yukino?" Sting asked, smiling at her.

_Join...Saber? But..._ Yukino thought to herself as she looked across the room to see the man that had stood up for her when nobody else had. He had attacked her ex-guild and fought valiantly in her honour, simply because she had been mistreated. It wasn't any of his business, he didn't have to do a thing. But...he had comforted her, consoled her, and even fought for her? She was a complete stranger to the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, never said a word to him in her life until she had come to his guild's inn to give Lucy her last two keys. However, he still felt the need to apoligise to her for thinking ill of her, as if he didn't already have a right to do so. She was the enemy, was she not? So why did he treat her as if she were one of his own guildmates, as a friend? When she had broken down crying, he had tried his hardest to wipe away her tears by beating some sense into her ex-guildmates. For anybody to do such a thing, especially a stranger...Yukino was dumbfounded. But, as she watched this young man continue to press on in the GMG, despite all that the other guilds had said and done to him and his friends, he kept his steel resolve. He always managed to keep a smile on his face, even after beating the strongest members of her guild singlehandedly. She remembered watching him push his teammate into a mine cart and sent him flying down into the tunnel as he took on two Dragon Slayers in Dragon Force by himself. _What was he thinking?_ she thought to herself. _Surely, he isn't trying to beat Rogue-sama and Sting-sama by himself!?_ But, nevertheless, he had come out on top, withstanding brutal attacks and ending the battle with his amazing smile to top it all off. She could tell that he held no grudge or ill wills against either of her teammates. Watching from the castle, she felt herself smiling as he celebrated his victory against the strongest guild. _He's so strong...but kind, too. Natsu-sama really is incredible. His whole guild is just like him, fierce but compassionate. I'd...really love to be a part of that._

Eyeing her ex-teammate, Yukino looked at him with a worried expression, but took a deep breath and replied,

"Thank you, Sting-sama, really. I appreciate the offer, but...I want to join Fairy Tail instead."

The look on Sting's face was of utter disbelief, and he replied quickly,

"B-but we need you, Yukino! You're really strong and Saber won't be the same without you. Please reconsider." he begged.

"I'm truly sorry, Sting-sama. But my mind is made up. I have to join Fairy Tail, call it fate but I feel like it's calling to me."

Now angry, he replied,

"It's because of Natsu-san, isn't it? Just because he's crazy strong doesn't make him any better than me, Rogue or anybody else in Saber! Fairy Tail is strong too, but remember where you came from, Yukino." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder.

Irritated at his angry tone and displeasure at her reply, she removed his hand from her shoulder and said,

"I never said they were any better than you all. I've made up my mind, now please don't ask me again." she replied, walking away from an angry Sting and off towards the crowd of Fairy Tail members where Natsu stood chatting with his friends. As she approached, he sniffed the air and spun around on his heels, exclaiming,

"Yukino! I'm glad you're alright, you aren't hurt anywhere are you? I'll punch myself if I caused you to get injured because I didn't defeat Future Rogue fast enough." he said, sounding serious even though what he was saying was ridiculous.

"No no, please don't do that Natsu-sama," she said with a giggle. "I just wanted to ask you something if you didn't mind..."

"Sure thing, Yukino. What is it?" he said.

"Uh...I was offered to join Saber again by Sting-sama, but I turned him down because I was going to ask if I could..."

"...join Fairy Tail?" he said, finishing her sentence for her. Yukino nodded at his reply, and Natsu said,

"Of course you can. You don't even have to ask, Yukino. I made sure to ask if you could join before I even beat up Saber for you. It's all taken care of." he said, flashing his huge smile at the silver-haired Celestial Mage. She was very surprised to learn that he had already secured a spot in the guild for her, let alone that he was already thinking of her before he even went and apoligised for judging her too early.

"Really!?" she asked in disbelief, excited at the prospect of being able to be a part of such a wonderful guild.

Natsu nodded and said, "Uh-huh. Are you sure that you want to join though, Yukino? Things get pretty crazy in Fairy Tail, and I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. _There he goes again, thinking of me first._ Hastily jumping into his arms, she replied,

"Of course I do, Natsu-sama. I'm so glad that you thought of me even after all Saber had done to you and your friends. I'm sorry for everything you've been through."

Hugging her back, Natsu whispered into her ear,

"You have nothing to feel sorry about, Yukino. You couldn't control the actions of your guild, and now that your ex-Master and Minerva have gone away, I don't think any of us in Fairy Tail will have to worry about Saber trying to hurt us ever again."

She didn't say anything, and just held her friend close to her, overcome with so many emotions that she didn't even know what to do with herself. His embrace was so warm and tight, she wished she could never let go and just stay like that for hours. She might have done so had she not gotten a nasty look from Fairy Tail's Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy Heartfilia. _Oh no, I shouldn't be acting so friendly with her friend right in front of her,_ she thought, quickly releasing Natsu as Lucy glared at her from behind Natsu's field of vision.

"Hey, Yukino, would you like to dance?" Natsu asked, extending his hand out to the young woman. _Me?_ she thought. _Wasn't there many other partners Natsu-sama could be dancing with, and he picks me?_ Not wanting to dissapoint him, she nodded with a small smile as he led her out onto the dance floor. Contrary to what she believed at first, Natsu was actually quite a decent dancer. She wondered where he had learned such moves, but she didn't feel it necessary to ask and instead enjoyed his company and their close proximity as they waltzed to a song played by the kingdom's orchestra. As she looked around the room while they were dancing, she noticed multiple displeased looks on many of Fairy Tail's women: Lucy (of course), Wendy Marvell and a short-haired woman with white hair that resembled Mirajane Strauss very much. She guessed that they were sisters. Avoiding their eyes, she looked up at Natsu who was considerably taller than her. The height difference made her heart beat faster, combined with the fact that she found him very handsome made her blush profusely.

"You know, you look...really pretty tonight, Yukino." Natsu said sheepishly, looking down at the floor with a slight red tint to his face. _He complimented...her!?_ She tried to remain calm on the outside but on the inside her heart was doing backflips. Not only did he think she was pretty, but he had extended the hand of friendship to her before she had even asked as well as defend her honour for no reason. _He did more for me in a few days than Sting did for me in my entire time at Saber,_ she thought to herself as she quietly replied,

"T-thank you Natsu-sama. You look..." she gulped and continued, "very handsome, too."

Now they were both avoiding each other's gaze, trying to finish their dance and return to their comfort zone before Yukino fainted from excitement. As the song ended, he took her hand and led her back to the group of his guild members and spoke up, saying,

"Hey everyone! Yukino agreed to join Fairy Tail! Make her feel welcome."

The rest of his guild apparently bore no grudge to her as well as they all eagerly crowded around her, congratulating her on joining the guild and welcoming her to their family. She was happy to receive such a warm welcome, and thanked everyone for their kindness. Even the girls that had been glaring at her before welcomed her with open arms. _So they didn't hold a grudge against me because I was from Saber? Then why were they staring daggers at me just a minute ago?_ She smiled and soon forgot about the nasty looks, and followed her new guild mates out the door since the party had finally come to a close. Walking back to the inn where they stayed, Natsu decided to accompany her and they both hung back behind the crowd and talked as they walked.

"Your guild seems very kind, Natsu-sama. I'm surprised that they were so welcoming to me." Yukino said.

"Don't be surprised, we've taken in members that have done a lot worse than you. Not that you actually did anything, Yukino." he replied.

"What do you mean, Natsu-sama?" she asked.

"Gajeel and Juvia came from the guild Phantom Lord, which was the other top guild seven years ago along with Fairy Tail. They attacked our guild hall and captured Lucy to ransom off to her father from whom she had run away from. Despite everything that they'd done, we didn't hold a grudge against them. I think Juvia was just following orders and Gajeel...well, he's a lot nicer now, he wasn't in a very good environment to begin with, being from Phantom, but he's really turned it around. Laxus even threatened to destroy Magnolia as well as its citizens because he wanted to be guild master. Although he got kicked out, our previous master let him back in. Everyone in Fairy Tail came from troubled pasts, Yukino, so please don't be too hard on yourself." he said, looking her in the eyes.

"Wow...okay then, Natsu-sama, I promise not to be so hard on myself. It's just what I'm used to, so please forgive me." she replied.

He stopped, taking Yukino's arm and not moving a muscle.

"Natsu-sama?" she asked, confused and worried.

"Stop apoligising, Yukino. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for, you're the kindest member of your old guild and you have done no wrong to me or my friends. Stop acting like you're the enemy, you aren't. I hate that you blame yourself for your comrades' actions, and it makes me feel even worse about what happened to you every time you say that you're sorry. So please, stop it Yukino." he said very seriously.

She felt tears welling up in her eyes. _Oh no, I made Natsu-sama mad. What if he hates me, doesn't want me in his guild?_ As quickly as she began to sob, Natsu pulled her close to him, wrapping her in his strong arms and embracing her silently. She continued to cry into his shoulder, the two mages just standing there in the street, uninterrupted by anyone.

"It's OK to cry, Yukino. Everyone needs a shoulder to lean on. Even me." he cooed into her ear to ease her sobs. She was so sad at everything that had happened but so happy at the same time. _He's...so warm._ She thought to herself, now done crying and just quietly sniffling in his shoulder.

"Whenever someone tries to do you wrong, I'll be there for you, just like that night. If you need a shoulder to lean on, or cry on, or someone to pick you up when you're down, remember that I'm here for you. You're special, Yukino."

"...Me? Special?" she asked.

"Aye. You're different than the other girls in the guild. I still haven't figured out what it is though. I just know that I couldn't let you join Saber if it was the last thing I did. Your home is here at Fairy Tail, Yukino."

Wiping the last tear from her face, she smiled up at Natsu.

"Thank you, Natsu-sama. You're special too." she replied, giving him a small but happy smile.

"I'm not as great as I'm cracked up to be. Come on, let's get going, the guild is probably waiting up on us." he said, extending his hand. Without hesitation, she took it and he led her down the dimly lit street that led to their guild's inn. They didn't say anything to each other, but Yukino didn't mind. Holding his hand was plenty of attention for her. Nearing the inn, they saw the crowd of guild members looking irritated and standing outside of the inn in the street. As they neared the crowd, Natsu asked,

"What are you guys doing standing outside? You know you could have just waited inside for us."

"No, we couldn't, Natsu! The innkeeper has already went to bed and you're the only one with the spare key! Seems like you..." Lucy said angrily, looking down at their intertwined hands, "took your time getting here, huh?"

Noticing Lucy's gaze down, he looked down and noticed too that their hands were still joined, to which he quickly released and cleared his throat, saying,

"Oh, that's nothing...we were just...uh-" he stammered but Lucy cut him off.

"I don't wanna know, Natsu. Just open the damn door."

"Alright, alright," he said, "but next time, just get Gray to use his magic to make a key if you make the mistake of entrusting the key with me." Unlocking the inn, Yukino noticed Gray face palm and mutter "Why didn't I think of that...". Upon entering the inn, Erza declared that everyone was going to bed and instructed her that she would be sleeping in a room with Lucy and Levy. As she made her way up the stairs and into the room, she changed into her pajamas and slipped into bed. Lucy and Levy soon followed after. Even as the trio lay in the dark, Yukino couldn't help but overhear their conversation in the dark.

"What an amazing tournament, Lu-chan. Natsu and Gajeel were really something, huh?" Levy whispered.

"Yeah, Natsu was really strong..."

"Surely you must know how Natsu feels about you, Lu-chan? I mean, I think he's had a crush on you since he invited you to join."

"I don't know, Levy-chan. I keep giving him hints, but every time he seems to return my feelings, I see him with..._her_."

She guessed that they were talking about her since they hadn't used her name and they were sharing a room.

"Come on, Lu-chan. You know better than anybody that he only has eyes for you. I mean, he uprooted a Sakura tree just so you could see it when you were sick. He saved you from Gajeel when he was still in Phantom and whose name is the first he's always screaming when there's danger?"

"Mine...I know what you mean Levy-chan, but I'm still worried. I don't mind having her in our guild, but I don't want to lose Natsu to her too. I already have enough love rivals in the guild, I don't need one that Natsu hand picked from another guild." she said.

"He didn't 'hand pick' her, Lu-chan, she was guildless and he wanted to help her out. Don't forget he brought you to the guild too, you shouldn't criticise him for wanting to find new members." Levy replied.

"I guess you're right, Levy-chan. That girl better remember who Natsu's heart belongs to, or there's gonna be trouble."

"Don't worry about it, Lu-chan. I'm going to bed, good night." she replied.

"Good night." said Lucy, rolling over and falling asleep almost instantly.

Yukino wasn't sure how to approach the conversation she just unintentionally eavesdropped on. Of course she had figured that Natsu and Lucy had a thing, she could tell by the way he had acted around her during the GMG. She was surprised to find out that Lucy saw her as a love rival however. _Love rival?_ _But, all he did was invite me to his guild and stand up for me...he doesn't love me. What about me, though? Do I...love him?_ She never felt this way about another boy, when she was at Saber people always teased her about Sting and her but it never bothered her since she just considered him a teammate. With Natsu, she felt a whole different set of emotions, something Sting never did for her. She wanted to be around Natsu at all times, to be a part of his team and to..._kiss_ him? Where were these thoughts coming from!? She had never felt love before, and all of these feelings were new to her, and they confused her to no end. She resolved to sleep on it, and closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She had a horrible nightmare about Saber, and woke up panting and shaking. She felt very cold, and the blankets provided little warmth for the silver-haired mage, so she got up and quietly crept out into the hall. Cracking open each door, she found the room where Natsu was sleeping and tiptoed as silently as possible over to his bed and shook him awake.

"Natsu-sama, I had a terrible dream, do you mind if I..." she began, but he seemed to read her mind and rolled over to face her and scooted back to make room for her body. She crawled into his bed and settled against his naked torso, as he wrapped his muscular arms against her small frame.

"I'm sorry to intrude Natsu-sama, thank you for letting me sleep here." she squeaked quietly as to not awake her other sleeping guild members.

"Don't mention it, Yu." he whispered back with a small laugh. She was initially surprised at his nickname but she quickly dismissed it since it sounded nice when he said it. Being a Fire Dragon Slayer, he had a naturally high body temperature and Yukino felt very toasty being snuggled against him, both of them enjoying each other's company.

"Hey Natsu-sama, do you ever...sleep with Lucy-sama too?" she whispered.

"Well, sometimes. I don't think she ever asked me to though, I kinda just used to crawl into her bed when I was tired after a mission and I'd wake up to find her next to me. I won't be doing it any more though." he replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Well, I like sleeping with you better. If you don't mind, that is." he said bluntly.

She felt her face go very red, but the room was very dark and he wasn't facing her so it didn't really matter.

"I'd like that, Natsu-sama." she said happily, drifting off into a peaceful and dreamless sleep in the arms of her new crush. Kissing her on the head before settling down himself, he said to the sleeping Yukino,

"Sweet dreams."

**The next morning**

Gray's eyes fluttered open, and he yawned for a long while before getting up with his eyes still closed and stretching like a cat. Looking around at his sleeping teammate, his eyes widened at the sight of Yukino wrapped in Natsu's arms, both of them with small smiles on their still sleeping faces. _Oh, he is so dead._ Gray thought to himself as he left the room quietly to go alert Lucy to the sight. Knocking on her door, Gray waited for her to stick her head out and ask,

"What is it, Gray?"

"There's...something you might be interested in seeing in our room, Lucy." he said.

Walking out of her room in her pajamas, she began to say, "I swear, if this is some kind of prank you and Natsu plan-" but her jaw hit the floor when she entered the room, interrupting her sentence.

"NATSUUUUU!" she shrieked, waking up the entire inn with her high-pitched scream.

"AHHHHHH! WHAT?!" Natsu said, awaking with a scream and looking at the now furious Lucy. Yukino now shot up too, her sleep disturbed by the two screams she heard back to back.

"YOU-YOU- YOU TWO DID IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF GRAY WHILE HE WAS SLEEPING?!" Lucy screamed, horrible fantasies of Yukino seducing Natsu in his bed infiltrating her mind.

"WHAT?! NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT LUCE, HONESTLY!" Natsu shot back.

"What is all the screaming abou-" Mira began as she walked into view from the doorway as she stopped when she saw the scene that was unfolding before her eyes.

"Don't move a muscle, I'll be right back!" she said, rushing back to her room.

"Oi, can you keep it down?" Gajeel began, but he stopped like Mira as he peered through the doorway and saw Natsu and Yukino still in bed together.

"Can't you two go elsewhere if you're gonna fu-"

"GAJEEL!" Lucy shrieked. He snickered and walked down the stairs to go grab some breakfast. At a loss for words, she too stormed down the stairs and away from the two.

"Lucy, wait!" he said, jumping out of bed and running down the stairs after her. As Natsu was leaving, Mira came back into the doorway holding a camera, and said,

"Oh no, he moved! I told him to stay put." she pouted as she walked downstairs to join the others. Yukino was so embarrassed, she just pulled the covers over her head and hid in Natsu's bed for a few minutes before realising she wasn't going to get anywhere hiding in bed and went and got dressed for the day. Walking downstairs, the guild, now fully awake, hooted and hollered at her as she came downstairs, which made her go very red in the face.

"I'm telling you guys, someone needs to teach Natsu to control his harem." Gray said to an interested Gajeel and Laxus. _Harem?_ she thought. _Just how many women were trying to win his affection in Fairy Tail?_ If she added up the dirty looks she got when they were dancing and counted herself, around four girls? She didn't know, she didn't even consider herself an option for Natsu, but other people apparently did. Trying to find a table she wouldn't be humiliated at, she sat down at a table with the three white haired mages she guessed were siblings.

"Hello, Yukino!" the three chimed in unison.

"Hello! I'm sorry...I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Yukino Agria."

"Oh, we know all about you, Yukino. I'm Mirajane, but you can call me Mira, this is my sister Lisanna and my brother Elfman."

"Nice to meet you all. I hope I haven't caused too much trouble between the women in the guild this morning." she apologised, feeling guilty she caused such a commotion.

"Trust me, Yukino, it's all just a part of being in the guild. We make fun and tease each other but at the end of the day we're one big family. I doubt Lucy hates you for it, she's just a little shocked at the decrease in attention that he usually gives her."

"I don't mean to steal Natsu-sama from anyone..." she began, but Mira cut her off.

"Nonsense. Don't listen to a word Lucy says about Natsu belonging to her. He's up for grabs, and he only belongs to himself. Eh, Lisanna?"

"Mira!" the girl named Lisanna said, looking embarrassed.

"I'm just teasing, Lisanna. Anyways, Yukino, don't take it personally. Girls fight over Natsu all the time, whether they admit it or not. He's a handsome young man and one of the stronger mages in the guild. It's naturally to want to sleep with him." she said slyly, raising her eyebrow at Yukino at that last part.

"N-no no no, t-that's not what happened!" she stammered, but Mira just laughed at her discomfort.

"Just teasing Yukino. Look, there's your boyfriend now." she teased as Natsu entered the inn with a large bump on his head. She rushed over to him and asked with a worried tone,

"Natsu-sama! What's wrong, are you hurt?" she asked, leading him over to the table with the Strauss siblings.

"It's nothing. Lucy just hit me over the head is all." he said, flashing a smile at her. She rubbed his bruise and smiled back at him,

"Well, as long as you're OK." she said.

He smiled back at her and reassured her that he was, and thanked her for her concern. Mira, on the other hand, was watching the two like a hawk, taking frivolous notes on their interaction like a student copying down a lecture. Lisanna watched with a displeased look on her face, and when Elfman decided it was an appropriate time to shout "HAREM NATSU IS A MAN!", she promptly whacked him over the head with a force that broke half of the table under them. Natsu and Yukino sweat-dropped at the sight of Elfman getting destroyed by his much smaller sister, and decided they should take their conversation elsewhere. They didn't need to look very hard, as Erza entered the room and announced that they were heading off for the train back to Magnolia. She heard Natsu gulp, and she remembered from her short time in Saber and watching the train event in the GMG that strong Dragon Slayers got bad motion sickness. Comforting him on the way to the train station, she said,

"Don't worry, Natsu-sama. The train ride is only three hours, we'll be back at the guild before you know it."

Giving her a weak smile in return, they continued walking towards the train station that Natsu dreaded so much. When they made it to their compartment, it was filled by Natsu, Yukino, Mira, Wendy and Charle. The moment the train began moving, Natsu turned into a helpless blob, slumped against the seat next to Yukino.

"I'm sorry Natsu-san, I would cast Troia on you but it doesn't work on you anymore." said the small bluenette named Wendy.

"You can use magic like that?" Yukino asked.

"Yes, but Natsu-san has developed a resistance to it over time." she said sadly.

"Hey Yukino, why don't you try putting his head on your lap? That seems to work when Lucy does it." Mira said with a wink.

She did as Mira told her to do, and a few moments after resting his head on her soft thighs, he seemed to come to life again.

"Wow, Yukino, your lap is way more comfortable than Lucy's! It feels like I almost don't even have motion sickness!" he said happily.

She blushed at his compliment and said,

"I'm glad that you feel good, Natsu-sama. If there's anything else I can do for you..." she said.

"Can you run your fingers through my hair?" he asked eagerly.

Smiling she said, "Of course." and began to run her small fingers through his long pink locks, earning an uncharacteristic purr from Natsu._ I didn't know Dragon Slayers purred._ she thought. Wendy and Mira giggled at the sight of the strong and destructive Natsu Dragneel purring like a cat on Yukino's lap. Yukino took great pleasure in knowing that she was the source of relief for Natsu, and closed her eyes as well as she laid back whilst still playing with his hair.

**Three Hours Later**

Her anger at Natsu wearing off, Lucy decided that at the end of Natsu's miserable train ride, she would apologise for how she had reacted that morning. Natsu wasn't the one at fault anyways, it was Yukino that had crawled into his bed and tried to steal her man. Her first impressiosn of Yukino was good, but after Natsu had whisked Yukino away with him to Fairy Tail, Lucy couldn't help but feel that she was stuck in second place. Whether Natsu was or wasn't aware, he was ignoring Lucy in place of the newcomer, which frustrated her to no end. However, Lucy was confident that with enough of her charm and sex appeal, she would be able to win back his attention and shove Yukino to the sidelines. Sliding open the door to their compartment, her jaw hit the floor for the second time that day, and she was at an absolute loss for words. There, asleep on Yukino's lap, was HER Natsu, with that stupid grin he had on his face when she had walked in on them in bed together that morning. Eye twitching, she spun around on a pivot and exited the compartment doorway and off the train with the rest of the guild members. Yukino being asleep as well, she hadn't noticed Lucy come in and Mira shook the two of them awake.

"Wake up you two, we're back in Magnolia."

The two of them grumbled and slowly opened their eyes, the two of them meeting each other's gaze. Grinning up at her, Yukino felt herself smiling back.

"Thanks Yukino, that was the best train ride I've ever been on!" he said happily.

"You're welcome, Natsu-sama, it's my pleasure." she replied.

"What can I do to make it up to you? Hmmm." he said, stopping and thinking to himself. "I know!" he shouted, scooping the half-asleep Yukino up from her seat and into his arms.

"I'll carry you back to the guild, is that alright?" he asked.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nodded and said,

"Sounds good to me."

Carrying her out of the train, he burst into a sprint, determined to be the first ones back at the guild to recieve all the praise. Natsu was a very fast runner, the wind making her short silver hair flow behind her in the breeze. She began to giggle profusely as he breathed fire up into the air screaming,

"THE DRAGON HAS STOLEN PRINCESS YUKINO!"

She liked the sound of that. Princess Yukino. The rest of the guild was a little ways ahead of the two since they had taken their time waking up, but now that Natsu was flying down the street dodging passerbys with incredible dexterity, they were quickly gaining on the group. Seeing a huge dust cloud behind them, the group looked back to see Natsu carrying Yukio bridal style at inhuman speed shouting that they were going to be the first ones in. Not bothering to play along with his game, the group just sighed and continued walking towards the guild as Natsu and Yukino flew by, leaving them in the trail of dust. Coughing and muttering curses at Natsu, the group watched as Natsu kicked the guild door down, much to the Master's dismay, and shouted at the top of his lungs,

"WE'RE BACK! AND WE WON!"

**Later than night **

After many congratulations on her joining the guild and questions about what it was like to be a member of Saber, Yukino had finally began to feel at home amongst the raucous guild of Fairy Tail. Although she was dodging flying chairs and trying to prevent Natsu from getting into_too _many fights, she felt even more welcome than she ever did at Saber in her first night at Fairy Tail. The Master even gave her a formal introduction to the guild, and everyone seemed happy to have a new member to their family, especially one that they claimed was "really strong." They never had parties at Saber, you always were either taking a mission or training, and the guild hall was no such place for parties or fun. At Fairy Tail, that seemed like the complete opposite, there were parties and festivities every day and the place seemed like a neverending carnival. She had never been to such a fun and crazy party before, and she enjoyed herself immensely. The only one that seemed to not be enjoying themselves was Lucy, who sat at the bar talking to Mira, stirring her straw around in her drink. Even though she wasn't aware of what it was Lucy was feeling sad about, she thought that it would be a nice thing to go and comfort the girl. Walking over to the bar, she approached the blonde Celestial Mage and asked, _  
><em>

"Lucy-sama, what's wrong?"

Turning her head to reveal a gloomy expression, she responded,

"Oh, hey Yukino. It's just...don't worry about it."

"But I am worried about it, Lucy-sama! I don't want anybody to be left out in the celebrations and it looks like you're the only one not having a good time. Could you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked.

Sighing, Lucy responded with a question.

"Yukino, what do you think of Natsu?"

"Natsu-sama? Well...he's very strong, he's a kind man and somebody that I admire very much. Without him, I wouldn't have been able to join the guild, and I probably would have had to go back to Saber. I think he's brave, and smart, and handsome, and..." she could have gone on and on about him but she felt herself getting red and figured it was a good time to stop talking.

"I see. Well, there you go. That's why I'm sad." she replied.

"I don't understand, Lucy-sama." Yukino said in a puzzled tone.

"Although there are other girls that feel the same way you and I do about Natsu, I've never really felt threatened by them seeing as Natsu used to give me the most attention and affection. Now that you've joined the guild, I'm starting to understand how they feel. I guess that's why I'm sad, because I can't share Natsu with you."

"Lucy-sama...I'm sorry that this is happening. I didn't intend to push Natsu-sama away from you, it's just...that I feel the same way you do, and I figure it's probably for the best that we leave Natsu-sama to his thoughts and then we'll see who he ends up choosing. You aren't out of the running yet, so please don't feel sad that you have another person to compete with. He's not a possession after all, he's a person with his own feelings. I don't think it's very nice of you to treat him like your property."

Getting up and slamming her drink down on the table, she looked her in the eyes and said,

"Fine then, Yukino. If you want to be that way, be that way."

She then abruptly left the guild, ignoring Natsu when he asked her what was wrong. "Why don't you ask Saber-girl?" she heard from across the room. Dropping Gray's collar in the middle of their fight, he walked over to Yukino and put his hand on her shoulder, saying,

"Yukino, did something happen between you two?"

As much as she hated lying to him, she couldn't tell him what they had been arguing about for a number of reasons, and told him instead,

"It was nothing, Natsu-sama. Just a disagreement on something, that's all. By the way, shouldn't I be getting my guild stamp?" she asked.

"Aye, come on, I'll get Mira to do it for you." he said, leading her to Mira who brought out the guild stamp and asked her what colour and where she wanted it. Being accompanied by Natsu, she decided she wanted it in pink and on her arm like Natsu's as well.

"Nice choice, salmon is my favourite colour." he said, unaware that his hair was definitely pink and not salmon.

"Aye." she said, giggling at his silliness and her interesting choice of response. _He's already starting to rub off on me. _Shortly after getting her guild mark, people began to turn in for the night. Wondering what her sleeping arrangements were going to be, she asked Mira about a place she could spend the night.

"Well, I would say you could stay at Fairy Hills, but you don't have any money right?" Yukino shook her head. "Why don't you ask Natsu? I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you spent the night again." Mira said with a snicker.

"Uh...Is that really alright? I mean..." she began, but Mira silenced her.

"He used to sleep with Lucy all the time, so it's not a big deal at all. Tomorrow, you and Team Natsu can go on a mission and you can make enough money for your first month's rent at Fairy Hills. That is, unless you plan on staying at Natsu's house forever?" she added, with a raise of her eyebrow. Yukio went quite red in the face and stammered out,

"N-n-no, Mira-sama, I'll do just that. I don't want to impose on Natsu-sama after all."

"Great, then you can go pick out a job request tomorrow off of that board over there. Now get going, your prince awaits." she said with a chuckle. Yukino gave Mira her last nervous laugh as she walked over to the young man and let him know of her predicament, and as if reading her mind, blurted out,

"Not a problem, Yu. I've already made arrangements with Happy to stay with Lucy for a while, so you can come stay with me for as long as you need to." he said, grinning at her.

"Really, Natsu-sama?! Thank you so much!" she said, jumping into his arms out of gratitude.

"Ready to go?" he asked, releasing her and looking down at her. She nodded, and Mira watched as the two left the guild to head back to Natsu's house. _They are so damn cute._ she thought to herself as she idly polished a glass. On their way back to his house, Yukino began to shiver as she had neglected to bring a coat with her to the guild. Natsu, noticing her discomfort, procured a small flame from his hand and instructed her, _  
><em>

"Hey, Yu, hold out your hands and take this."

She did as he told her to do, and he placed the tiny ball of fire in her hands, warming her up instantly as if she had just stepped into a hot shower.

"Wow, this is amazing Natsu-sama! Thank you!" she said graciously. Her just smiled his famous smile at her and ruffled her hair affectionately, saying,

"Don't worry about it."

They made small talk on the way back to his home, mostly about how she was being received at the guild, as he told her he would beat up anyone that gave her dirty looks or called her names. She thanked him for his offer but assured him that her welcome had been nothing but warm. As they reached his house from the path that wound through the forest, he unlocked his door and led her inside his small one bedroom stone house. It was small but looked comfortable enough.

"Oh no! There's only one bed in my house, Yu!" he said in mock anguish. "What ever will I do with my guest, why, she can't sleep on the floor! I guess you'll just have to sleep with me, then." he said with a grin. She laughed and said,

"Oh, poor me."

She crawled into his bed and motioned for him to join her, and he complied, taking his time to remove his vest, revealing his rock solid abs and defined muscles. He then crawled in behind her, wrapping his muscular arms around her body like the night before.

"You know, as much as I hated your guild for what they did to you, I'm kind of glad you got kicked out, even if that sounds bad. Because then you might still be in Saber and we wouldn't be where we are now. There really was a silver lining to that all, huh?" he whispered into her ear.

"Aye," she replied, "I wouldn't have it any other way, Natsu-sama. I'm really glad that I met you in the GMG."

Kissing her on the head before nuzzling against her hair, he said,

"I am too, Yu. It took the dragon a while, but I think he finally found his princess."

With that, they both drifted off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

**Authors Note: What did you guys think? Decent first chapter? I thought I did well, but if you have any questions or concerns leave a review. Also, if you enjoyed, please favourite or follow, because I'll definitely be continuing this fic in the weeks to come! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Hello again! A big thank you to everybody that reviewed, favourited or followed. I got more favs on the first chapter than I did on my entire last fic which was 6 chapters long. If you have any compliments or questions, or maybe something you want to ask me (whether it's about myself or the story), don't hesitate to leave a review or PM me. I like the direction the story is going so far, how do you guys like jealous-Lucy? I think it's a nice change of character as opposed to some other fics you might read. I won't promise daily updates for this story, because I'm trying to make each chapter a bare minimum of like 5k words, but you should have a chapter every few days unless I get a spark of inspiration and smash out an entire chapter in one sitting. Anyways, enjoy! **

**Chapter 2: A Day At The Beach**

Yukino's eyes fluttered open at the sounds of loud crashes coming from outside her friend's house. Feeling for Natsu under the covers, she noticed that he had gotten up some time before she had awoken. Slightly disappointed that he had left without saying a word, she sat up in his bed and let out a long yawn. _I can't remember the last time that I slept that well._ she thought. Looking around the tiny stone house, she didn't see her friend Natsu anywhere. Now worrying he had left her intentionally, or that he didn't want to be around her, she wrapped a blanket around herself and walked outside to investigate the crashes that she had heard a minute before. Behind his house, Yukino saw that Natsu was training, using his magic to knock down trees and destroy makeshift targets.

_Fire Dragon's Talon!_

Natsu shouted, bringing his blazing foot down and destroying a group of trees, splintering them and leaving a large crater in the earth._He's so strong._ she thought to herself. _No wonder Sting-sama and Rogue-sama didn't stand a chance against him. _Sniffing the air like he had done at the GMG ball, he spun around and waved to her. _How did he know I was there? _she wondered. She chalked it up to enhanced Dragon Slayer senses and walked over to greet him.

"Ohayou, Natsu-sama." she said.

"Ohayou, Yu. Sorry I left without saying anything, it was early and I didn't want to wake you up." he said, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous smile.

"I don't mind. Say, Natsu-sama, is this how you train every morning?" she asked.

"Aye. Sometimes I go and beat up Gray first thing in the morning, other times I might spar with another guild member or usually I just destroy stuff in the forest." he said.

"Natsu-sama, why are you and Gray always fighting? I figured if everyone in Fairy Tail are such good friends, you would never fight." she asked out of curiosity.

"Well, in my opinion, it really isn't even fighting. We both kind of see it as just playing together. If we had a real fight in the guild, it would probably be completely destroyed by the time we were done. Now that you mention it, I know you're not really supposed to, but I've never had a serious fight against anybody in the guild, unless you count Laxus. Gray and I have been rivals since I joined the guild many years ago. Even if he or I doesn't admit it, we're as close as brothers, and we'd do anything for eachother. Play fighting doesn't mean we don't like eachother, it's just a game that we play." he said.

"I never dared pick a fight with any of my...guildmates (she couldn't really call them friends) since I was the weakest of the bunch. I couldn't do a thing to Rufus-sama or Orga-sama, let alone Sting-sama, Rogue-sama or Minerva-sama." she said with a sad expression, looking down at her feet.

Putting a hand under her chin, and bringing her face up to meet his onyx-coloured eyes.

"Hey, don't badmouth yourself, Yu. I already told you I'd beat up anybody that did that, and I can't hit you of all people, so I'd have to hit myself. You're just as strong as any of your old teammates, you just have a different style of magic than they do. Rufus, Orga, Sting, Rogue, Minerva...their magic is more suited to one-on-one combat than yours is, and Celestial Spirit Mages rely on the spirits to do all of the attacking. Whether you do or don't regret learning Celestial Spirit Magic, it's a part of who you are, and it makes you strong in different ways than them. Just because I could beat Lucy in a fight doesn't mean she's weak, we just have different fighting styles, and mine might happen to be better. You _are_ strong, Yukino, in more ways than just physical or magical strength. It takes a strong mage to get back up after being kicked when they're down, and an even stronger one to start anew in a new guild with new people. Don't belittle yourself, because you'll never get stronger if you don't believe in your own abilities."

"You...really think so?" she asked in disbelief.

Ruffling her hair affectionately, he said,

"I know so. What do you say we go to the guild? I'm starting to get pretty hungry."

_Breakfast does sound nice right about now._ she thought, hearing her stomach grumble. She agreed with him and they both set off for the guild. On the way, she felt their hands brush up against one another, and he grabbed hers and intertwined his fingers with her hand. She looked up at him with a smile, who beamed back down at her.

"So, Natsu-sama, Mira said that I should go on a mission to make some money to pay for rent at Fairy Hills, and I was wondering if you could help me find a job on the board." she said.

"Of course. Team Natsu was planning on going on a mission already today, why don't you join us? We can always use another strong member." he replied.

"You want me on your team?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't I? If you don't want to, that's fine, I was just offering..." he began, but she interrupted.

"N-no, Natsu-sama! I would love to be on your team. I was just a bit nervous, that's all."

"Then it's settled! Come on, Yu!" he shouted, pulling her with him as he ran up the road that led to the guild. She laughed with him as they both ran up the road and into the guild, stopping at the door as Natsu turned around with a confused look on his face.

"What's the matter, Yu?" he asked.

"Um..." she began, looking down at their still intertwined hands, "is this really alright...people might get the wrong idea..."

"I wouldn't be holding your hand if I was afraid of being seen, Yukino." he said with a serious tone.

_He's...proud to be seen holding hands with me? What if people think that we're...a couple!? _All of the scenarios running through her head, he didn't give her time to finish thinking as he pushed open the guild doors and led her inside, still connected at their hands. Where they would normally be met with a "NATSU! YUKINO!", they were met with a chorus of "Awww"s from the girls and "HAREM!" from the men. Natsu, now blushing himself, waved back as he led Yukino over to the job request board. Now that the GMG was over, their guild had apparently been getting many more requests for jobs after winning. Before he had time to select a job, Gray, Erza and Lucy came over to the two as Gray said,

"Oi Natsu. Is Yukino coming with us on today's job?"

"Of course. I invited her to join the team, so it's only natural that she would come with us Gray." he replied.

Lucy felt herself getting visibly angrier when she heard that Natsu had invited Yukino to join their team. _First, he has the audacity to sleep with her in his bed AND on her lap, but now he's gone and invited her to OUR team? What is he thinking? _

"Natsu," Lucy began, "I don't think we need any more members on Team Natsu. If we get too many people, the reward will be spread much too thin, and I won't be able to pay my rent."

"It's okay Luce, you and Yukino can split my reward. I don't really need money anyways."

Lucy felt like she was going to explode. She was really losing patience with Natsu, and was going to have to take drastic measures if she was going to combat Yukino's charm.

"No, Natsu-sama! I couldn't just take your money like that, it's not fair." Yukino said.

_Maybe it'll solve itself._ Lucy thought.

"I insist, Yu. I don't pay rent and I can eat at the guild, so I have no use for money, not to mention I have quite a bit saved up from our previous missions. If you won't take it, we'll go on a mission with just the two of us." he replied, countering her argument.

_THAT IS NOT AN OPTION!_ Lucy screamed internally. _Hold on...YU? A CUTE NICKNAME?_

Lucy was fanning herself with her hands, trying to cool off her brain at all of the fantasies of seduction and cute dates and nicknames and-

Noticing her odd behaviour, Natsu spoke up and asked,

"Hey, Luce, are you feeling all right? Maybe you should stay home today."

"N-n-no no no! I'm fine, just fine, I...I just uh..." she stuttered, trying to find words to excuse her actions.

Walking over and putting his hand on her forehead, he said,

"You seem kinda warm, Luce. Do you want me to look after you today?"

_YES!_ she thought. As she was about to accept the offer she has been hoping for, Gray spoke up and said,

"Hold on Natsu, that's not necessary. Juvia!" he yelled, calling out to the Water mage who instantly appeared at his side.

"Yes, Gray-sama? Do you need a massage? A hot bath with Juvia? A date?" she chirped.

"No, Juvia," he began, sweat dropping, "but Lucy isn't feeling well, can you take care of her and make sure she doesn't go anywhere?"

Saluting the Ice Make mage, she responded,

"Juvia will make sure Lucy does not leave her house until Gray-sama returns!"

"Great, Juvia. Make sure she stays out and maybe I'll take you out to dinner when we get back." he said, getting her hopes up.

Juvia beamed back at Gray, and then took Lucy by the arm and yelled,

"Oh GRAAAY-SAMA, JUVIA WILL DO ANYTHING FOR THAT! COME ON LUCY!" she yelled as she dragged Lucy away and off to her house.

"Nooooo! Natsu, save me!" she called.

"Sorry Luce, I'll take you out to dinner to make it up to you!" he called back.

"Oh...OK then! Bye Natsu, have a good time!" Lucy called back, her spirits feelings much more uplifted now that he offered to spend time with her and only her.

"Get better soon, Luce!" he called for the last time, waving his hand and flashing his smile as Juvia turned the corner and Lucy was out of sight. Turning back to his group, he took a deep breath and said,

"Now that that's taken care of, are we ready to leave?"

They all nodded, and Natsu looked over at Erza and asked,

"Have you already picked out a job, Erza?"

"Yes, the reward is 500,000 Jewels and it requires us to spend the day as lifeguards, protecting the beachgoers from the various aquatic monsters that seem to be washing up on the shores." she said.

"What, like, crabs and shit?" Gray asked.

"Something like that. Bring your swimsuits and anything else you might need, and we'll regroup at the train station in one hour." Erza said.

"Aye!" they said in unison, as Gray departed for his apartment and Erza set off for Fairy Hills. Natsu and Yukino, being the only ones still standing around, stood there for a moment until Natsu asked her,

"Well, let's get going back to my house. I've already gotten your luggage dropped off so your swimsuit should be there too. Ready to go?"

She nodded and they set off, hands intertwined once again, on the way to Natsu's home. _It feels natural holding his hand now, it's kind of nice. I feel safe whenever our fingers are laced together._ she thought as they walked.

"Oi, Yu, have you been to the beach before?" Natsu asked her as they walked.

"I believe so, when I was much younger, but not recently, no. I've always wanted to go though, I love the smell of the ocean breeze. It's the only thing that I recall about the beach." she replied.

"I'm glad we get to go there together, Yu. It seems like a cool place for a date." he said nonchalantly.

_DATE?! _she thought with a great surprise. _Are we...going on a date? Not...not that I mind, really. It does sound like fun. _Gripping her friend's hand tighter, she replied in a much calmer tone than her thoughts,

"It really does, Natsu-sama. Then, does that mean...we're going on a date?" she asked shyly.

Flashing his famous grin at her, he replied with a cheery tone,

"I guess so. I hope you don't mind."

"I don't, I'm actually really glad, Natsu-sama. I didn't know you felt that way about me, that you would want to spend time with me like that." she said.

"Of course I want to spend time with you, why do you think I sent Lucy home? You're the only Celestial Spirit mage I have eyes for." he replied with a small grin, looking ahead.

_He...doesn't like Lucy-sama? Then, that means... _

"Natsu-sama..." she begun.

"Hmm?" he said, looking down at her.

"I think that I...like you too..." she said, getting quieter with each word that escaped her mouth.

Natsu looked surprised when she said that. _Did she just say what I think she said?_ he thought. _But...I was supposed to confess to her first, at the beach today. _

"Well, you must know what two people do when they like each other, right?" he said with a grin.

Before she could ask him what he meant by "two people", she felt his lips pressed up against hers, the taste of smoke and ash very apparent in her mouth. She was shocked initially, she had no idea that he was going to do it, but by no means did it feel wrong or unenjoyable, so she closed her eyes and kissed him back, relishing in the smoky flavour of his lips. Wrapping his strong arms around her waist, he pulled her closer to him as they shared a passionate kiss on the trail that led to Natsu's home in the forest. She ran her fingers through his pink locks like she had done the day before, eager to explore his body as the two released all of their pent-up feelings for one another in that one moment. Separating for air, they looked deeply into each other's eyes, Natsu gazing on her blushing features as she looked at his handsome face, both of them panting and foreheads touching.

"I think I'm...falling for you, Yukino." he whispered, only audible due to their close proximity.

"...Me too, Natsu-sama, I wanted you to be happy no matter what but...I'm so glad that you want to be with me and not_her._" she whispered back. _  
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Brushing a stray lock of her silver hair behind her ear, he chuckled and said,

"You're the most beautiful girl that I've ever seen, Yukino. Lucy can't compare. You're strong, brave, compassionate and loyal. Everything I could ask for from a mate...you fulfil. Before I met you, I might have said the same thing about Lucy, but now I understand just how different the two of you really are. Now that you're here, with me, and the guild...I can't do without you. Please..._don't ever leave._" he said, and he sounded in pain at the last part, like it really took him a lot of willpower to ask her not to leave the guild and return to Sabertooth.

Putting her soft and delicate hand against the tanned skin of his face, she said with her eyes glimmering from tears of happiness,

"I would never leave your side, Natsu-sama. You showed me what it was like to truly be strong, and to live for other people. You're the light to my darkness, the first thing that I want to see when I wake up in the morning and the last voice I want to hear telling me 'goodnight'. You showed me a piece of Heaven, and now I can't go back to where I came from, not without you. I really am..." she said, bursting into tears at the end of her sentence,

"...so glad that I met you! Don't leave me either, please Natsu-sama. I've never felt this way about anyone before."

She fell to her knees as she sobbed uncontrollably, and he dropped down to her height and wrapped one arm around her back, another behind her head resting her face against his chest and letting her cry into his vest.

"Let it out, Yu-chan. It'll all feel better when you're done, I promise. We won't hide our feelings from each other any longer, understand? I hate to see you cry." he said soothingly, stroking her hair and cooing into her ear.

_I'm such a mess,_ she thought. _But I'm also...so happy. I think I...really do love him._ Pulling away and wiping away the last of her tears, she smiled up at the young man that had comforted and confessed to her and said,

"Th-thank you, Natsu-sama. But, what about Lucy-san? She's going to be sad to learn that you don't reciprocate her feelings."

Sighing and looking off into the distance, he said with a much drearier tone,

"I don't know how I'm going to tell her. I can't lie to her, but...I don't think she can handle hearing about_us." _

_"Us_?" she asked with a confused tone.

"Well, it seems natural for us to be a couple after what we just said to each other, right? I mean, I don't want to force a relationship that you don't wa-" he began, but was interrupted by Yukino uncharacteristically leaning forward and pressing her lips against his, less passionate but still with emotion like their previous kiss. Before he could kiss her back, she pulled away and said,

"I would love to be your girlfriend, Natsu-sama. Only if you'll have me though, I'm not very good at this dating thing." she said with a giggle.

"Of course, Yu-chan." he said, standing up and extending his hand to her. "Ready, Princess?" he asked, comically bowing as he held out his hand. Giggling like a schoolgirl, Yukino accepted his hand, saying

"Thank you, Prince Natsu."

Flashing his million-Jewel smile at her, he put his arm around her as they walked the short distance back to his house. When they arrived, Natsu grabbed his swimsuit from his small closet while Yukino sifted through her suitcase, grabbing her swimsuit and asking if it was alright to change in his house. After Natsu had promised not to look, she quickly undressed and threw on her swimsuit. It was a good thing she was quick too, because she noticed Natsu lose control of himself and spin around on an impulse, only to be met by Yukino in her bikini. Smilling back at him, she showed herself off, asking,

"Well, what do you think Natsu-sama?"

Natsu was met by an awful nosebleed and the sight of Yukino's "assets" squeezed into her bikini top, which was enough to knock him off of his feet (literally). Rushing over to his side, she helped him up and to keep him from falling over again, threw on a large t-shirt over her bikini. Now that he had regained control, Natsu notified her that he was going to change as well and not to look 'unless she wanted to,' which earned him a whack upside the head. Quickly changing into his swimsuit, he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out the door, saying,

"Hurry up, Yu-chan! We're gonna be late!"

Running hand in hand, the couple raced down to the train station to meet up with their team. Dodging pedestrians and running at a breakneck pace, they finally made it to the train station, panting and bent over at the knees. Gray and Erza ran over to them, Gray exclaiming,

"What took you two so long? We thought we were going to have to leave without you."

"Sorry...just...girlfriend...swimsuit...breasts...tired." Natsu said incoherently between breaths.

"Girlfriend? Breasts? What are you talking about, flame-brain?" he said with an irritated tone.

Regaining his breath and able to speak clearly now, Natsu said to the two,

"Gray, Erza, meet my girlfriend, Yukino." he said with his famous grin, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Gray and Erza shouted in unison. "IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN AN HOUR! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!"

Speaking up, Yukino said,

"We'll tell you on the train ride there, Gray-san. Let's get going." she said, the first to take Natsu's hand and led him onto the train. Gray and Erza, still in shock, stumbled after them to their compartment. Upon entering their compartment, Natsu automatically laid down on Yukino's lap as Gray and Erza took the seat across from them, still in shock at Natsu's revelation.

"So...were you going to tell us how this all happened?" Erza asked.

"Aye," Yukino began, Gray raising his eyebrow at her use of Natsu's word, "well, where to begin. We were walking back to Natsu-sama's house, when he asked me about if I had ever been to the beach before. I said that I remembered the ocean breeze, and he said that the beach was a nice place for a date. I was shocked at first, at the idea of the two of us going on a date together. But it sounded nice, you know? Just the two of us...anyways, he then told me that he only had eyes for me and not Lucy-san. I was so happy, and then he...kissed me." she said, blushing at the end.

Gray and Erza didn't say anything but just looked dumbfounded, and Yukino figured she should continue,

"After that, he confessed his...feelings (she almost said 'love') for me, and I was so happy to know that he felt the same as I did. That's when he asked me to be his girlfriend." she said, ending her story with a big smile.

"I never would've guessed Natsu was so romantic. Nevertheless, I'm happy for you two. I was hoping Natsu would find love eventually." Erza said with a smile.

"Thank you, Erza-san. What about you, have you found love yet?" Yukino asked.

"Eh...I, uh...maybe." she stuttered, her face going red. "I don't think he returns my feelings, though."

"Nonsense..." Natsu muttered from Yukino's lap, "Jellal is totally in love with you, Erza. You just need to tell him how you feel is all. The worst thing he could do is lie about a fiancée that isn't real again."

"Hmm...maybe you're right, Natsu. I'll tell him how I feel the next time he comes around." she said eagerly with a twinkle in her eye.

"Jeez...it's like all you guys do is talk about love." Gray mumbled, looking out the window at the passing countryside.

"What about you, Gray-san? I think Juvia-san has a crush on you, too." Yukino said.

"As if I didn't know that already, she's just too clingy for me. I need a woman that doesn't stalk me around and offer to give me a full-body massage whenever I say her name." he said.

"Have you ever thought that she does all that because she's just trying to get your attention, Gray? You're the reason she joined the guild in the first place, after all." Erza replied.

"I know that, and I'm glad she was able to join the guild after being in Phantom and being unhappy for so long, but...I just need a little space is all." he said, looking back out the window.

_I'll make sure to give Juvia-san a heads up when we get back from the mission,_Yukino thought to herself, absent mindedly running her fingers through her boyfriend's hair as he purred affectionately with his eyes closed. _He's like a cat,_ she thought to herself, giggling. _  
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"I'm sure you'll come around eventually," Erza said, "but let's try to sleep now while we still can."

Yukino didn't find that very difficult with her own personal body heater snoring away already on her lap. She felt her eyelids growing heavier as she leaned her head against the wall and fell off into a deep sleep.

Now that the couple were asleep, Gray looked over at Erza and asked,

"How do you think Lucy is gonna take this? Everyone knows how she feels about Natsu."

"I don't know, Gray. I just want everyone to be happy, but I don't think such a thing is possible in this situation. Someone is going to get their heart broken, and it's most likely going to be Lucy. I just hope she doesn't take it too hard." she replied.

Yawning, Gray said,

"We'll figure it out when we get back..." and laid his head against the wall and began to fall asleep. Erza nodded and she too began to nod off, trying to keep Jellal off her mind but failing miserably.

**Some time** **later **

"Yu-chan, wake up!" Natsu shouted into her ear as she jolted awake to meet his face only inches from hers.

"Waaah, so close!" she shouted as she instinctively pushed him away from her and knocking him to the ground.

"What's the big idea, Yu-chan?! I was just trying to wake you up since we just arrived." he said with a confused tone.

"You don't have to be so close to me when I first wake up silly. I'm sorry." she replied with a sigh.

"Don't be sorry. Come on, let's get going." he said, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her out of the train like he had when they first arrived at Magnolia. As they walked off the platform and set off towards the beach, Yukino said,

"You know, Natsu-sama, I can walk on my own."

"Oh..." he said, looking a bit sad and his ears drooping a little, "I thought that girls liked being carried because it makes them feel like a princess and that's how I think of you. I'm sorry." he said, letting her down. _Oh no, I hurt his feelings,_ Yukino thought. As he kept walking on ahead of her, she ran up behind him and jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck, saying,

"You can still carry me, silly. I just didn't want to feel like a burden, that's all."

"Yay, I'm not an idiot!" he shouted, putting his arms under her legs and running full speed ahead. She laughed at his antics and held on tight as he sprinted off towards the beach.

"Hey, idiot, wait for us!" Gray shouted, a vein popping out from his forehead. "Those two...they'll be the death of me, I swear."

"Try to appreciate young love, Gray." Erza said, smiling at the happy and wild couple barrelling down the street and off towards the beach.

"You're right, Erza. As annoying as he can be, it's tough to stay mad at that guy." Gray said, returning the smile.

After Gray and Erza caught up with the two who were happily running around the beach, they met up with another lifeguard who was the one who had employed them to the job of protecting the beachgoers.

"Ah, great, you're all here! The job is simple enough: Just relax and enjoy yourselves, but keep a lookout for any large aquatic monsters that might wash up from the ocean. Otherwise, just think of it as a day off at the beach, with a little work to do on the side. Thanks for coming, and let me know if you need anything." the lifeguard said, leaving them to return to his tower.

"Wow, a day off at the beach! That sounds amazing!" Yukino exclaimed, holding onto her boyfriend's hand and smiling up at him.

"Yeah! Come on Yu-chan, let's go swim in the ocean!" he shouted, pulling her off to the sea as she giggled and followed him, shouting "Aye!" in return.

Smiling at the happy couple, Erza said to Gray,

"Well, we should enjoy ourselves too then. Keep a lookout for crabs and the like, Gray." she said.

Nodding, they followed in Natsu and Yukino's direction as they laid down on a beach towel and forget all about their job of peacekeeping for the time being.

**Not far away from our members of Fairy Tail...**

"Sting, why are you dragging us to the beach? It's pointless." Rogue said, a frown on his face.

"Because it's fun, Rogue, you ought to learn to have some fun now and then. You're always so gloomy." he said, waving off Rogue's complaint.

"I have to admit though, the feeling of the warm sun and the sand on my feet is one sensation I'll never fully memorise unless we go to the beach, Rogue. Try to enjoy yourself." Rufus said, who, for the first time in a long time, was not wearing his exquisite hat.

"Yeah, Rogue, try to live a little," Orga said, "try to enjoy the sun and all the beautiful women!"

"Tch," Rogue said, "Whatever you say."

"Tomorrow, you can go on as many boring missions as your heart desires, OK?" Sting said, slapping his friend on the back. "Today, we have fun!" he exclaimed, rushing down the beach and towards the ocean. As Sting went barrelling into the water, he heard a familiar voice from a ways away in the water. Being a Dragon Slayer and having enhanced hearing, he could faintly hear a voice that sounded a lot like... _Natsu-san?_ _What is he doing here?_ Sting thought to himself. Wading through the water towards the sound of the voice, he saw exactly what he had heard: Natsu Dragneel, playing around in the water with..._Yukino!?_ _So they're both here, _he thought. _I wonder how many other Fairy Tail members are here as well. _Also having enhanced sight, he could see from far away the pink Fairy Tail guild mark on Yukino's arm._Tch, so she did join his guild after all. _Sting felt his blood boiling along with a sense of betrayal. How could she betray him like that, her old teammate? What did she see in him? As he was about to confront the two, he saw a sight that made him completely lose control: Natsu planting a chaste kiss on her lips, and Yukino blushing back at him._Oh no, oh no, no, no, no. This is not happening, _he shouted in his head. _I'll show those two, I'll show her how strong I've become, by beating the shit out of Natsu-san, right in front of her! __  
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Now wading at top speed towards the two, Sting shouted,

"NATSU-SAN!"

Hearing his name called, he spun around at top speed, he saw none other than Sting of Sabertooth looking at him with a seemingly angry expression on his face.

"Oh, hey Sting, what's up?" he asked nonchalantly.

Ignoring his question, Sting looked at Yukino, saying,

"Yukino...I see you've adapted to Fairy Tail _quite well._" he said, rage very audible in his voice.

"Yes, I have, Sting-san. I'm very happy here." she said quietly, hiding behind Natsu.

"Oh, _I bet you are. _But I didn't come here to beg for you to come back to Saber, because even I know that won't work. I came here to teach Natsu-san a lesson!" he said, pointing a finger at the pink-haired Dragon Slayer.

"Teach me a lesson...for what? Bringing Yu-chan to Fairy Tail? Kissing my girlfriend? Beating you in the GMG? Be a little specific, Blondie." he said with a much more displeased tone than before. He didn't like it when people bothered his girlfriend.

"How about all of the above? If I win, then Yukino comes back to Sabertooth!" Sting shouted.

Natsu pondered this for a second, and let out a hearty laugh, saying,

"Damn Sting, I didn't know you were that funny, honestly. But in all seriousness, not even I'm that dumb to make a bet like that. Besides, Yu-chan isn't some piece of property that I can throw in the pot as some kind of wager, she has her own feelings and if she wanted to join your guild, I'm sure we wouldn't be having this arguement right now. I'm more than happy to rough you up a bit, since you had the audacity to use that tone with my girlfriend." he said, igniting his fists.

"Natsu-sama, no! We're here on a job, remember?" Yukino reminded him.

"This will only take a minute, Yu-chan. The whole beach will be safer without pricks like this guy walking around."

Gray and Erza, who had been silently watching the two stare eachother down and predicting a fight, began to shoo away all of the beachgoers to prevent any casualties from the ensuing fight. Once everyone had been evacuated, Erza called out to Natsu,

"Natsu! The beach is clear! Go all out!"

"Good to know, Erza!" he called back, "Thanks!"

Looking back at Sting, he said to him,

"Let's not waste any time, shall we?"

"Sounds good to me!" Sting shouted, back, releasing a white aura of magic which suddenly amplified, sending a feel of strong magic through the air. Scales forming around his face and along his arms, he wasted no time entering Dragon Force, an ability that could be activated at will that greatly amplified his own magic power, Third Generation Dragon Slayers being the only known ones of being able to enter Dragon Force without consuming their respective element. Noticing that Sting was wasting no time sizing him up, Natsu laughed to himself and said,

"Guess I'm going all out too. I've still got a couple tricks up my sleeve that didn't get shown at the GMG."

Slamming his hand against the sand, a red magic circle appeared as he shouted,

_Second Origin: Release! Primal Dragon Force! _

_Primal Dragon Force? _Sting thought. _I've never heard of such a thing. _A bright red light emanating from Natsu's body, he burst into a large tower of flames, his features becoming very different and the magical power in the air being amplified immensely. His skin seemed to be falling off his body, revealing shiny red scales that covered not just his face and arms but his entire body. Horns, similar to that of a ram, burst from his temples, giving him a very inhuman appearance. His pupils had become reptilian, like that of a lizard or a dragon. As if the scales and horns weren't enough, a large, dragon-like tail protruded from his lower back, covered in the same scales as the rest of his body. Sting had never seen this ability from Natsu before, when he had beat him and Rogue in the GMG, he had thought that was the peak of his power. He couldn't put into words the feeling of sheer_ terror _that he felt standing before this...creature. Yukino was just as surprised as Sting was. _Is that really...my Natsu-sama?_ she thought. His flames calming down, he ceased his transformation and looked up at Sting, speaking to him in a very calm but much deeper tone than what he normally sounded like,

"This gift is one given to me by none other than my "uncle", Atlas Flame. Before he left to return to his time from when he came, he gave me this power and told me to use it to protect the future, just as the Future Lucy had told me earlier. My future is with Yukino, and I will destroy anyone that stands in my way of that. I will not hold back, Sting. Prepare yourself."

**Well, what did you guys think? Not bad? I hope so, I worked on this chapter for about 2 days, trying to figure out where I wanted to go with it when I had the idea of a fight at the beach when I was listening to a Fairy Tail OST while I was typing this out. A few things to just point out with this chapter: Yes, I know that I stopped having Yukino use "-sama" with everyone but Natsu halfway through the chapter, I wanted it to be sort of like how Juvia only uses "-sama" with Gray's name and nobody else. Second, a thing that I like to do which I did in my previous fic (shameless plug, go read it) was I like to develop the relationship early and build from there until the finale, I don't want to have like 4 chapters of fluff and then the confession. Finally, if you enjoyed it or want to continue reading, please please please favourite and follow the story. Also, if you enjoyed, please do not hesitate to leave a review, all of the kind reviews put a big smile on my face and encourage me to work harder to crank out chapters for you guys, and I'm also a sucker for compliments. Thanks for reading! **

**-Cameron**


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note: Hello again everyone! I'm really surprised about how well this fic is doing so far, not only in praise from you guys but it's a small ship and I didn't think this many people enjoyed it (I thought I was one man shipping NaYu for the longest time) as much has become apparent. I'm also going to try something new with this chapter, so please bear with me. Being a fight scene, I find that the right music (as many of you will agree) can make it a lot more enjoyable to watch (or imagine in this case), so I am going to link a Fairy Tail OST that you should listen to while you read, because I feel that it sets the mood a lot better with the right music. If you're on mobile, sorry! But desktop users, please do give it a listen, I think it sets the scene nicely. **

**First OST (my preference) Released Power Extended : watch?v=8de2pwEVVFg **

**Second OST (another good one for the battle) White Dragon and Shadow Dragon OST Extended : watch?v=a3_bC-c6S_s **

**Chapter 3: She Gives Me Strength!**

_No sense in wasting any time getting started then,_ Sting thought to himself.

_White Dragon's Roar!_

he shouted, emitting a blindingly white laser from his mouth which shot at Natsu with incredible speed, only for Natsu to crouch down to all fours and used his tail to knock the ray of light off into the distant ocean. _He deflected it?!_ Sting thought in disbelief.

"The scales of a dragon are highly resistant to magic, Sting. You won't be able to even touch me with such petty attacks." Natsu said in his deep voice.

"Tch, you just watch!" he shouted in reply, moving forward quickly with a burst of speed, and began trading blows with Natsu, who responded with equal or greater speed. The people watching the fight couldn't even see each individual punch, just a blur of motion between the two Dragon Slayers. Sting was in much greater pain than Natsu was, however, as with every blow his knuckles were cut and grazed by his sharp scales that now coated his body. Landing a quick jab to his stomach, Natsu kneed him up slightly into the air and spun around, whacking him hard across the face with his tail and sending him flying and skipping along the beach like a stone. True to his word, Natsu had no intention of holding back, and before he could even recover from his previous attack, he delivered a brutal punch to his stomach, clotheslining him and making him cough up blood.

_Crushing Talon of the Primal Fire Dragon! _

Natsu shouted, appearing above Sting with inhuman speed and bringing his scaly foot down onto Sting's head, making his skull feel like it was about to crack in two. _He's on a whole different level than before_, Sting thought to himself as Natsu continued to pummel him from every angle, using all of his body and combining jabs, kicks and swipes from his tail to really tear Sting a new one. Using his speed to fall back and put distance between him and Natsu, he brought his palms together and shouted,

_Holy Ray!_

Firing numerous bolts of white energy from his hands, they all connected with Natsu's scaly body but seemingly had very little effect since he didn't even flinch but continued to move forward. Sting was doing his best to keep distance between him and Natsu, knowing that if he let Natsu get a hold of him again he wouldn't be able to continue fighting. Natsu stopped, clapping his hands together above his head, and his surrounding area became very dark, like it was nighttime. _He's not...eating the sunlight!? _Sting thought in disbelief as Natsu basked in the blinding ray of light that seemed to seep into his scales and replenish his energy. _Is such a thing even possible?! _Sucking up the last of the sun's rays in his mouth, he released it all, shouting,

_Sun's Judgement! _

releasing all of the energy he absorbed from the sun's rays and letting out a blinding orange laser which Sting had the fortune of barely dodging but his leg got nicked in the blast and he noticed it was horribly burned and he was unable to put weight on it. He screamed out in pain, unable to continue fighting from his horrible leg injury as Natsu walked over to Sting, who was laying on the ground.

Giving him a moment to collect himself, Natsu stepped back and seemed to survey his work. Sting was battered, burned and bloodied from head to toe, his nose felt like it was broken and he had a strange suffocating sensation in his chest. Looking down, he noticed a small red magic circle, similar to the one he had put on Natsu's chest in the GMG.

"Wh-what is this?" he choked out, feeling his breathing growing more constricted with each word.

Laughing to himself, he replied,

"It's similar to the one you left on my body some time ago, but I put a little spin on it. I'll give you a little bit of a history lesson since you don't really look like you're in any condition to keep fighting, and I don't intend to kill you today."

Sting shot him an angry look and tried to bring himself up to his feet, but he was immobilised by the magic circle on his chest. Natsu continued,

"Thousands of years ago, Sting, the original Dragon Slayers used the very same Primal Dragon Force that I am using right now to actually slay their dragons. With every blow they delivered to a dragon, they absorbed a little bit of their power, draining from the dragon itself and making it easier to kill. Bathing in the dragon's blood did increase their power, but most of their strength came from absorbing the life force of the dragon itself. Such is the reason why Acnologia turned into a dragon himself, he slayed one too many dragons, and the life forces of them all combined together to turn him into the real thing. Such is another drawback to using this form, which is why I restrict myself from using it only when I feel I need to. If I used this in each fight, I would slowly become less and less human until I eventually became a real dragon. A side effect of our magic, but I feel power doesn't come without a price. Now, back to the little magic circle I have on your chest." he said, tapping the insignia on his chest with a finger.

"Should you...how do I put it, threaten me...my girlfriend, my guild, anyone close to me at that, I can do _very _unpleasant things to you, Sting, as I'm sure you've already felt firsthand. Not only that, but I might torment you a little while I'm at it, you see, we're both Dragon Slayers, no? Well, since we both share attributes of the dragons, I could just..." Sting felt the constriction on his chest getting even tighter, making it very difficult for him to breathe, "_take_ that magic away from you, any time that I wanted. You feel that lack of air, right? It's tough to breath? That's your magic being sucked out of you. Now, I'm not going to do that to you today, Sting. On the contrary, I'd really rather not do that to begin with. I thought that after the GMG, we could be friends, comrades, you know? I even thought about inviting _all _of you from Saber to join Fairy Tail for a little bit. Now I see, though, that it was a good idea that I didn't. All you would have done was tried to hurt Yukino, and I'm afraid I cannot let that happen. However, unlike you, I'm a sympathetic person. I understand how brutal it can be to lose your magic, it's like losing a part of yourself, you know? So, no, I'm not going to take your magic or hurt you any further, Sting. I had to rough you up for a number of reasons, but I hope that it helps you understand Yukino's decision to join my guild, and maybe you can reflect on your own actions to become a better person yourself." Natsu said, removing the magic circle from Sting's chest and walking away, off towards the rest of his friends.

"No...I won't let her...stay..." Sting choked out inbetween breaths.

Natsu sighed, and walked back over to Sting, who was struggling to maintain his balance on one leg. Natsu seemed to lose all of his patience in one instant, his face contorting into that of an enraged animal, bringing his hand down like a hammer on Sting's head, knocking him down into the earth and shouting,

"WHY WON'T YOU STAY DOWN, DAMN IT!? CAN'T YOU SEE I DON'T WANT TO HURT YOU?!"

That attack seemed to knock Sting out cold, as he lay motionless on the ground. _I didn't hit him hard enough to kill him, but hopefully I won't have to deal with this guy for a while. _Natsu thought to himself, exiting Primal Dragon Force and taking Sting's body and draping his arm around his shoulder and carrying him off towards Erza, Gray and Yukino, who waited at the edge of the beach to see who the victor was. The other members of Sabertooth had gathered there as well, after witnessing the confrontation and seeing their Master's bloodied and battered body being carried by Natsu, they rushed over to help him.

"Natsu...what have you done!?" Rogue exclaimed, taking Sting from Natsu and laying him down on the ground.

"He's not dead, just a little rough around the edges." Natsu replied.

Yukino, Erza and Gray also running over, they were surprised to see the condition Natsu had left Sting in after their fight. Just as surprising was the complete lack of any visible injuries on Natsu's body either.

"Natsu-sama, is Sting-san going to be OK?" Yukino asked, sounding worried for her ex-guildmate.

"Don't worry, Yu-chan, he'll be fine. I just had to teach him a lesson was all." he replied, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"If you think you can just attack our guild master and get away with it, you've got another thing coming Natsu!" Rogue said, readying himself for a battle.

"Yeah, you mess with one of us, you pick a fight with the whole guild!" Orga agreed, also readying himself to fight.

"So be it," Natsu said quietly, releasing his aura of fire, "I'll take you all on! I'll burn your entire guild to the ground! Come on!"

"Wait!" Erza shouted, getting between the group that was about to brawl, "we don't need any more injuries then we already have! We will take Sting back to our guild infirmary and heal him, and you can all return to Saber."

"Tch, as if we'd let that happen! We're not letting you take him without a fight!" Rogue shouted back, eager to avenge his friend.

Erza knew that if the situation escalated, they may have an all out battle between both guilds, and after witnessing Natsu's new power, she feared more for her enemy's sake than her own. Natsu had held back against Sting to teach him a lesson, but if Yukino got hurt in the crossfire...she didn't want to think what might happen to the members of Sabertooth. Turning back towards her guild, Erza said,

"Natsu, Yukino, take Sting back to the guild and get him treated by Wendy immediately. Gray and I will stay behind and hold off the members of Sabertooth, and prevent them from coming after you, as well as to finish the mission. Go!"

Natsu and Yukino nodded, and Natsu grabbed Sting and beckoned for Yukino to follow him as they ran off towards the woods behind the beach.

"Where do you think you're going?" Rogue shouted as he shot a shadow-arrow at Natsu's back, only to have it deflected by Gray's _Ice Make: Shield. _

Requipping into her Black Wing Armour, Erza said,

"If you still insist on fighting, you'll have to go through us first!"

"Tch, fine by me." Rogue said, as the members of both guilds collided with each other for the ensuing battle.

Natsu and Yukino barrelled down the forest trail, reaching a clearing in the forest that held nothing but grass and an open field.

"Natsu-sama, shouldn't we be heading for the train station? What are we doing all the way out here?" she asked out of curiosity.

"I have a faster way of getting home, that's why. Here, hold on tight Yu-chan." he said, and she took his hand and held on tightly as he instructed.

Natsu began to chant in what sounded like tongues, his body glowing and a magic circle appearing beneath them.

_Primordious Metreo! _

Natsu shouted, and Yukino felt like she was being sucked into a very small and tight tube, a red light blinding her temporarily and when she was able to regain vision, she saw she was standing outside of their guild hall.

"Wow, Natsu-sama, how did you do that?!" she exclaimed, admiring his unseen ability.

He shrugged, saying,

"Just something I unlocked when I went into Primal Dragon Force for the first time. I don't use it often, though, it takes a lot out of me. I can only use it twice a day." he replied.

"Wait...why didn't you just use that instead of suffering from motion sickness all the time?" she asked, confused.

"Oh...well, I just liked sleeping on your lap, I guess." he said with a nervous laugh.

Giggling at her boyfriend, she said,

"I prefer it that way anyways, silly. Now, let's get Sting-san inside quickly." she replied, taking Sting's other arm and draping it over her shoulder with Natsu as they carried the still-unconscious Sting in through the guild doors. Upon entering the guild, people began eagerly whispering amongst themselves about why the master of Sabertooth was being carried in by Natsu and Yukino, looking all bloodied and battered.

"Hey, Natsu-sama," Yukino began, "why didn't we just leave Sting-san with Saber? I mean, it's not like he was in any mortal danger or anything." she said.

"If I let them take Sting away themselves, I had a feeling they would come back for revenge, probably targeting you, Yu-chan. I doubt they would hurt you, but I can't take any chances. If we resolve this ourselves, maybe they won't retaliate." he replied.

"But, you didn't even start the fight Natsu-sama! It wasn't your fault!" she protested.

"I know, Yu-chan. But sometimes, even when you're in the right, there are still consequences. I probably shouldn't have let my temper get the better of my judgement."

"Natsu-sama, the only reason you got into this situation was because you thought that Sting-san was harassing me. Don't feel bad for doing what you thought was right." she said, trying to cheer him up.

"Thanks, Yu-chan. Let's go find Wendy." he replied.

Scouring the guild and still dragging Sting along with them, they located Wendy talking to Mira at the bar. Rushing over to her, Natsu said,

"Hey Wendy, we need your help. Me and Sting had a...uh, _disagreement _on something at the beach and he got roughed up quite a bit. Do you mind treating him?" he asked.

"Of course not, Natsu-san," she replied with a smile, "bring him to the infirmary and I'll see what I can do."

Following her lead to the infirmary, the two mages brought Sting into the infirmary and laid him down on the hospital bed. Wendy, now holding her hands above his body with their green glow from her Healing Magic, she spoke up a minute later, saying,

"Well, you're lucky that you brought him here when you did. He's got a few broken bones, internal bleeding and bad magic deficiency with severe burns on his left leg. He'll be all right, but he's going to need to rest up here for the next few days."

"We don't really have a few days, Wendy. We sort of..."kidnapped" him to bring him back to the guild. The rest of Saber was about to get into a huge guild battle with us, but Erza and Gray held them off while we hurried back to the guild. It would be good if you can get him on his feet at the very least by the end of the day, if that's possible, Wendy." Natsu said.

"Well, I'll try...but I can't promise anything, Natsu-san!" she added.

Ruffling her hair affectionately, Natsu replied,

"Thanks, Wendy. It means a lot."

Smiling back up at her friend, she said,

"It's no problem...really."

Even if Natsu was just being friendly with the young Dragon Slayer, Yukino couldn't help but get mad when he ruffled her hair affectionately like he always did with her. She was never the jealous type, but now that they were dating, she felt a lot more protective of her pink-haired Dragon Slayer than before, and was a lot more averse to sharing him with other girls than before.

"Natsu-sama, if we're done here..." Yukino began with a slightly uncharacteristic irritated tone.

"Yeah, yeah...come on then, Yu-chan. Thanks, Wendy." he replied, taking his girlfriend's hand and leading her out of the infirmary where Wendy waved back and went back to treating Sting.

Walking through the guild hall hand in hand, Yukino asked,

"Hey, Natsu-sama, now that Sting-san is taken care of, shouldn't we go back to Erza-san and Gray-san to see if they're doing alright? It was two vs. three after all."

"Yeah, good thinking Yu-chan, I almost forgot about them." he replied.

They exited the guild and returned to the spot Natsu had teleported them to when they still had Sting in their possession, and she held on to Natsu's hand as she had done before as he cast the spell again and she felt herself under the sensation of being sucked into a very small and tight tube before being temporarily blinded, and reappearing in the forest that they exited from. As they ran back to the beach, they were surprised to see that aside from the large scorch mark that trailed down the entire beach from Natsu's _Sun's Judgement, _the beach was still very intact and crowded with all of the civilians from before.

"Is the battle already over, then?" she asked Natsu.

"I guess so, let's try to find Erza and Gray." he replied.

They walked around the beach looking for their two friends and the other members of Sabertooth, but had no luck finding either group. Looking high and low for their friends or "enemies", they looked for a good ten minutes and didn't see a trace of them.

"Hey, what's that over there, Natsu-sama?" Yukino asked, tugging at his hand and pointing at a gigantic sand castle at the end of the beach.

"I don't know, let's go ask the Sand King if he's seen our friends." he replied.

Yukino sweat-dropped at his comment, and said,

"Natsu-sama, I don't think there's such a thing as the 'Sand King.'"

"Well, we won't know that until we go ask, Yu-chan. Come on!" he shouted, running on ahead leaving his girlfriend in the dust.

"Wait for me!" she shouted as she ran after Natsu who was running towards the sand castle. After reaching the "gate" of the sand castle, they looked up and saw Rufus poking his head over the ramparts as he shouted down to the two,

"Oh, hello Natsu, Yukino! Here, climb up the sand ladder and I'll take you to your friends." he said, tossing down a ladder made of sand. Eyeing the "sand ladder", Natsu pointed at it and said,

"Is this even safe to climb on?"

"Of course! It's made of sand, after all!" Rufus said.

"That's what I'm concerned about..." he said with a worried expression as he began to ascend the sand ladder. "It seems safe, come on Yu-chan." Nodding, she too climbed the sand ladder up to the ramparts as Rufus led them off deeper into the sand castle. Descending the sand stairs, they reached the sand throne room, where Gray and Erza sat on sand thrones, chatting amongst themselves.

"I knew it, Erza IS the Sand King!" Natsu shouted.

"Uh, by that logic, I would be the Sand QUEEN, Natsu. Gray is technically the Sand King." she replied.

"That's right, and I declare that you will be my Sand Jester! Dance for me!" Gray shouted with a maniacal laugh.

"Um, why are you all in a sand castle in the first place?" Yukino asked, very confused at what was going on.

"Oh, that's right, we haven't told you that part!" Erza shouted, getting off her sand throne and walking over to the two. "Well, shortly after our fight with Saber began, while we were trading blows, they mentioned something about Natsu attacking their master unprovoked, and we told them the real story of how the fight went down during the fight. After they realised that Natsu wasn't at fault, completely at least, they apoligised for jumping to conclusions and Rufus offered to build this sand castle for us as an apology."

"Where's Rogue and Orga?" Natsu asked.

"Oh, we threw them in the sand dungeon." Erza said with a twinkle in her eye.

"NO WAY, THIS PLACE HAS A SAND DUNGEON TOO?!" Natsu shouted in disbelief. "Wait, how did Rufus build this all by himself anyways? I didn't know he was an architect." he asked, looking over at Rufus.

"I have memory of a Sand-Make mage from long ago, so I just used his magic. It was no problem." he replied.

"Thanks Rufus! I've always wanted my own Sand Kingdom, you know." Natsu said, nudging him with his elbow.

"I'm sure..." Rufus said, sweat-dropping.

"Anyways, Erza, you can let those two out of the sand dungeon, we just came back to make sure everyone was OK. Yu-chan and I are going to go lay down and continue our mission, you guys can play Sand Kingdom if you want." Natsu said, scooping up Yukino and running out of the sand throne room. Reaching the sand ramparts, he jumped off with Yukino still in his arms, and then set her down and dusted himself off.

"Sorry about all the commotion today, Yu-chan. I know our date was probably the worst you've ever been on." he said, his ears drooping and looking sad. She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek, saying,

"Silly, I had a great time today. It's my first and best date I've ever been on, and I wouldn't have it any other way." she said with a smile. Smiling back down at his girlfriend, he took her by the hand and found the beach towel they had set up earlier that day and laid down, Natsu resting with his eyes closed and Yukino resting her head on his chest. _What did I do to deserve such an amazing girlfriend?_ he thought to himself, stroking her beautiful silver hair and basking in the warm sunlight. His feelings would get stronger each day, making it harder for him to be out of her presence, he was attached to her like a lovesick puppy. He loved everything about her, from her soft silver hair to her curvaceous figure which often captured his gaze when they were together. _I think I love this girl, Dad._ he thought to himself. Natsu was as much a stranger to love as she was, but they both knew what it felt like to be in love after all they had been through together. _I hope that one day, she can be mine, my mate... my wife...forever._

She loved when he stroked her hair, just as he loved it when she did it to him on the train or anywhere for that matter. Being close to him and resting on his strong, muscular body, she had never felt so safe in her life. Every time he called her name or took her hand, those butterflies in her stomach would start up again and she would get nervous, until she remembered that he had feelings for her too, and it was normal to do such things. She imagined a future with him, living in a small house off of the beach, married with children. Strangely, where she would feel very embarrassed at these thoughts, she felt content, like the idea of a future with Natsu was the one thing her heart desired. Smiling to herself, she just allowed him to pet her head and snuggled into his chest, feeling her mind go blank as she drifted off to sleep...

"I love you, Yu-chan." Natsu whispered into her ear, just as she was on the edge of conciousness. _Did I imagine that, just now?_ she thought to herself. _No, that was real._ She smiled and relaxed again on his chest, whispering under her breath so he only heard it with his enhanced hearing,

"I love you too, Natsu-sama, I always...will..." she said, drifting off to a deep sleep. Sighing with relief, Natsu too began to fall asleep, eased into his subconscious by the warm sun and the light pressure on his chest from his sleeping girlfriend. _I could stay like this forever, _he thought as he nodded off.

Gray and Erza walked down the beach, looking for their two friends who had left an hour earlier.

"Did you have a good time playing Sand King, Gray?" she asked with a chuckle.

"It's not as fun without a Sand Army or sand subjects to boss around." he said with a pout.

"Hey, Gray, look at that." Erza said, nudging him with her elbow and pointing at the sleeping couple, Yukino resting her head on Natsu's chest as they both slept peacefully with small smiles on their faces as they always had.

"It's...TOO DAMN CUTE, ERZA!" he shouted, running off into the ocean to hide his reaction.

Smiling to herself, she admired the sleeping pair that looked so content being close to each other. _Natsu...I'm glad you've finally find the one that's right for you. It's funny, really..._ she thought, remembering when Natsu had saved her from Jellal and convinced her to keep living for others. He had saved her life, in more ways than one, also giving her a new purpose to live. _I thought for a while...no, it's supposed to be like this. You and her..._ she thought, getting all lost in her thoughts like she usually did. _Right now, I need to be focused on Jellal, not...damn it, there I go again._She had tried her hardest to be happy for the two, really, she had. As hard as she tried, she still couldn't shake those feelings of hers. _What about Jellal?_ part of her thought. _You know who you have feelings for, don't lie to yourself, Erza. _the other part of her thought. _Snap out of it, feelings!_ she yelled at herself. _This isn't right, I've known Natsu since we were kids! He's like a brother to me, I couldn't possibly... _she thought, losing her train of thoughts. _Oh, but you can, Erza. You know that you want him more than ever, now that he belongs to Yukino. Always trying to convince yourself otherwise, to say to yourself "I only have feelings for Jellal,", even you knew that was fruitless. Jellal is a shell of the man he used to be, he blames himself for what happened to you and Simon and now he only goes on about redemption-this, repent-for-that, and you know that's not who you want. He's not your Jellal from back then, he's changed. The only thing that hasn't changed..._ she began to think, but tried to argue with herself, _It's not true!_ she thought. _  
><em>

_You love Natsu. That won't ever change, will it Erza?_ She couldn't argue with her own thoughts, it really was fruitless. Even though she knew it was wrong, she couldn't help herself, and broke down on the beach, sobbing into her hands. _Am I just like Lucy?_ she thought to herself inbetween tears. She cursed herself for her feelings of affection, but she couldn't help it. She was hopelessly in love with the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, even if she hadn't wanted to admit it until now. It was her fault for letting this happen, had she confessed to Natsu sooner, before the GMG, she wouldn't be in the same boat as Lucy was now. _Why does he do this to me? _she thought. _When he held me in his arms, after the Tower of Heaven, I felt like...a princess. _she thought, recalling her memories of Natsu saving her from Jellal when he was being controlled by Ultear. _I was always rooting for him, cheering him on and admiring him... I feel bad for all that he's had to go through. Losing his father, losing Lisanna, he's been burdened by so much in his life, but he always got back up, no matter how many times he got kicked when he was down. He should have become an S-class mage, he deserves so much more than he has, he's such a kind-hearted person. Seeing him so close to Yukino, it drives me crazy. I would never interfere, I mean, what kind of friend would that make me? It's just...I don't know if I can watch him leave my life like that._

She hated crying, it made her feel weak and vulnerable, especially with nobody to comfort her, to hold her and tell her it was going to be OK. She wanted to shake Natsu awake, to show him her puffy eyes and the tears falling down her face, and to have him wrap his strong arms around her and just let her cry into his chest while he cooed into her ear. She wanted the young man to whisper sweet nothings into her ear, while he laid her down on his chest like Yukino was and just let her lie against him and feel safe. With Jellal in his current state of mind and Natsu's relationship with Yukino, she felt more alone than she ever had before. It was unfair to want to deprive Yukino of her happiness just so she could have him, but she still wanted to be the one that Natsu woke up next to and kissed goodnight, not her. Feeling a familiar hand on her shoulder, she turned around and saw that Gray was standing behind her, looking over at the sleeping couple with a stoic expression.

"Don't cry, Erza. I understand how you feel, and I know how you feel about Natsu. You want him to be happy right?" he asked her.

Through tears, she nodded at him.

"Well, as nice as it might sound being with Natsu, his happiness is just as important as your own. We don't know Natsu's true feelings for Yukino or her feelings for Natsu, but you can still have hope that their relationship isn't permanent. In the meantime, try to talk to Jellal. Although he does drone on about redemption, I think he really feels bad for what he did to you, and that isn't something you should be annoyed at him for. Maybe an "I forgive you, Jellal" is all that he's looking for, Erza. Let him know that he _does _deserve you, and you deserve him too."

Wiping away the last of her tears, she realised that Gray was very correct, and that she had been wrongfully blaming Jellal for his feelings. The fact that he felt so bad about his actions meant that he really did care for her, and she was just now beginning to realise this. Standing up, she replied,

"Thank you, Gray. I don't know if I can get over these feelings, but your words have helped me move on. I'll go talk to Jellal when we get back."

"Don't mention it, Erza, what are friends for? It's strange though, we haven't seen a crab or monster all day long, have we?" he asked.

"Hmm, you're right Gray. Well, no sweat off my back, free Jewels for all of us." she said with a smirk.

**A few Hours Later**

After Natsu and Yukino had woken up from their joint nap and the group had went to collect their reward from the mission, they all headed back to the train station. Yukino, who was still sleepy, had opted to ride on Natsu's back as they walked back to the train station. Natsu thought it was extremely cute of her, he felt like he was babysitting a young child, tired out after a day of activities.

"We're almost there, Yu-chan." he said to his half-asleep girlfriend.

"Mmm...five more minutes, Natsu-sama." she mumbled.

"Jeez...you're quite the handful." he replied, laughing to himself.

"What are you gonna do with your reward, Natsu?" Gray asked him.

"Hmm...I'm not sure yet, Gray. Hey, Yu-chan, when is your birthday?" he asked.

"Mmm...August 19th, Natsu-sama." she mumbled.

_A little over a month then, huh..._ he thought to himself. _Still plenty of time. I gotta remember to take more missions to make enough money. It's gonna cost a lot. _

Finally reaching the train platform, they entered the train and sat down in their compartment. Setting Yukino down first, Natsu then settled down onto her lap as they both began to drift off before the train had even started moving.

_I can't wait...to show you...Yu-chan. _he thought as he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness as the train chugged along the tracks back on it's way to Magnolia.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! Thank you once again to everyone that left me nice reviews or followed or favourited the story, I'm very pleased with how much attention it's getting, and it isn't even halfway done. Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter, it was kind of difficult to write and it's probably my least favourite chapter so far. I'm working on another fic in conjunction with this one, so updates might be a day or two later than usual, but I guess that's the price of writing two stories at once (I'll link it for you guys when I post the first chapter, I think it needs a lot of polishing up before its readable, it's a NaLi fic btw). Enjoy the chapter, I took my time and it's probably one of my favourite chapters I've written!**

**Chapter 4: The Mark that Binds Us**

Yukino sat at a table with Gray and Erza, twiddling her thumbs and looking worried. It had been 3 days since their return from the beach, and Sting had recovered enough that he was able to go back to Saber, albeit little grudgingly, but Yukino figured she didn't have to worried about getting kidnapped any time soon. That wasn't what worried her, though. It had also been 3 days since she had seen her boyfriend, Natsu. Every time she came around his house to see if he was home sick or something, he wasn't there, but she noticed his furniture was ruined and claw marks riddled the walls and wooden table through his window.

"Is Natsu-sama OK?!" she would ask her fellow guildmates, and they would all go quiet and tell her that Natsu got like this sometimes and he probably went off on his own to be alone for a while.

"Why would he do such a thing without telling me?" she asked, looking over at Gray and Erza, who looked at eachother quickly, exchanging uncomfortable glances.

"Well, you see, Yukino..." Erza began, but she was interrupted when Cana stumbled over, very drunk and put her hand on Yukino's shoulder and said very bluntly,

"Dragon Slayers get really horny now and then, Yukino, he probably went off to the forest to stop himself from taking your innocence by force."

"Cana!" Gray and Erza exclaimed, irritated at her lack of a filter for such information.

Going red in the face, she tried to form a reply but couldn't, the embarrassment was preventing her from speaking. _Is that why he left without telling me anything?_ she thought to herself. _But Natsu-sama would never do something like that to me...he loves me! I'm sure if I go talk to him, then I can get him under control._

Standing up, Yukino asked,

"Do any of you know where Natsu-sama went in the forest?"

"Yukino, that is a really bad idea, trust me. You do not mess with a Dragon Slayer in heat, unless you don't fear for losing your life." Gray responded.

"How bad can it be?" she asked, causing Erza to stand up and clear her throat, saying,

"A few times a year, seemingly at random intervals, Dragon Slayers give in to their instinctual desire to find a mate and reproduce. Not only do they lose their restraint around the opposite sex, their power increases significantly. Normally, Dragon Slayers are stuck in Dragon Force for the remainder of the week long mating period, but Natsu, who has unlocked Primal Dragon Force, will be stuck in that for a week. If he was dangerous before, he's a lethal threat to anything around him with that much pent up power and saw what he did to Sting, Yukino. Nobody can stop him, not even I or the Master, so he takes the liberty of removing himself for a week at his own will to be on his own so he doesn't hurt any of the women in the guild. Last year, he almost got a hold of Lucy but the whole guild had to fight him in order to subdue him, and even then, Gray nearly got his head cut off."

"It really is terrifying, Yukino, for your own safety I don't think you should go, you don't know what he might do to you." Gray added, shuddering at the memory of Natsu nearly killing him when he was trying to restrain him.

"Isn't there a way to calm him down?!" she asked, trying to find a solution for her boyfriend's suffering.

"Not unless you want him to mate with you, whether it's by force or not." Cana replied, sipping on her barrel of ale.

"Well, I have to help him somehow, I can't sit around and let him suffer!" she shouted.

"Trust me, you'll be the only one suffering if he gets a hold of you, Yukino. Natsu has been doing this for years, and he's no worse for wear when he returns. Just leave him be, and you'll have your boyfriend back in no time." Cana replied. "Unless...you _want_ to be with him, Yukino?" she said with a smirk.

"I-I-uh, I mean...I couldn't..." she stuttered, all the blood rushing to her face.

"Cana! She's only 18!" Erza shot back.

"They're both of age, and it's not unnatural to be attracted to Natsu, Erza. I remember you tried to go after him one year-" she began, but Erza cut her off with a demonic glare,

"DO NOT MENTION THAT." she said, seething with anger.

"What about Gajeel-san and Wendy-san, then?" Yukino asked.

"Gajeel always goes up to the mountains when he begins to feel his urges acting up, and Wendy is too young to be affected anyways. Laxus is never around, and I'm sure Sting and Rogue have a plan just like Natsu and Gajeel." Erza replied.

_I completely forgot about Sting-san, he's a Dragon Slayer too. Will he...come after me?_ she thought. She shuddered at the idea of Sting ambushing her and...she didn't even want to think about it. _Natsu-sama would protect me._ She was convinced about that much.

"I think I'm just...going to go for a walk then. Excuse me." Yukino said, standing up and leaving the table and walking off towards the guild doors.

"Be careful!" they called back as she walked out the door and set off towards the trail that led into the forest. _It's my duty to help you when you're in pain, Natsu-sama, whatever the price is._ Even though she never really gave it much thought, she wouldn't want to give her innocence to anybody but Natsu. _Whatever happens...happens._ Walking down the trail that lead through the forest, she began to notice the obvious signs that Natsu had been there: trees knocked down, long claw marks down their trunks and the potent smell of ash.

Continuing down the path, she followed the remains of trees until they led her to a small cave. It wasn't very deep, but she could see a small flame flickering inside of it, and figured that was where he was. Upon setting her foot inside the cave and hearing her shoes make noise against the cave floor, the fire immediately put itself out. What she heard next were sounds of someone sniffing the air, followed by a low and guttural growling sound. A bit unnerved, she responded in a nervous tone,

"...Natsu-sama? It's me, Yukino."

"Get...away." responded the very low, almost demonic voice of her boyfriend. She knew that he sounded like this in Primal Dragon Force, but she would be lying if she said it wasn't scary or frightening.

"Natsu-sama, I know why you're all alone out here, but I came because I want to help you." she responded in a sweet and calming voice.

"I...don't...want to hurt you...can't control...myself. Run...now." he said, in a tone that sounded like he was trying very hard to restrain himself. Taking another step forward, she heard him snarl and shout,

"NO! _Leave!_"

She knew that he was only saying that to keep him from pouncing on her, but she still felt sad that she wasn't able to help him.

"Natsu-sama..." she began, taking one step at a time, very slowly edging her way towards him. "I came here because...I want you to mate with me."

"...What did you say?" he asked, sounding much less restrained, but more curious.

"I want to be your mate, Natsu-sama. I want to be yours and only yours, forever. So please..." she said, outstretching her arms to the darkness in front of her,

"Take me."

That was all the encouragement that Natsu needed, as he practically lept from the shadows, scooping her up in his arms and running off through the forests at inhuman speed. The speed he was running at made her dizzy, the surrounding area looking like one large blur as he ran at speeds that made her hair whip behind her in the wind. After a good five minutes straight of running, they reached a clearing in the forest, just at the edge of the mountain. The clearing was wide open, but it felt strangely secluded, like nobody had been there in years.

"Dragons always return to their place of birth when they choose their mate, Yukino. This is where I was raised, by my father, Igneel." he said in his deep but now calm and content voice.

"Are you not frightened of me?" he asked, looking down on her, a sad expression on his face that was coated in shiny red scales, and his curvy horns that adorned the top of his head.

"Of course not, silly," she began, putting her hand on his face.

"I've never been so in love with anyone else in my entire life. No matter what form you take, you'll always be Natsu-sama to me, no scales or horns or even tail will change that. There's nothing more I would like than to be your mate for life, Natsu-sama, but will you have me?" she asked.

"Of course, Yukino, but are you sure you want to go through with this? Once I begin, I won't be able to restrain myself, no matter what happens." he said, gazing deeply into her big brown eyes.

"Please, enough talking, Natsu-sama. I'm...ready." she said quietly.

His scales fluctuating with a red glow, his canine teeth sharpened and elongated as he bent down and bit into the soft flesh of her neck. She screamed in pain at being bit with such force, but he immediately began to lick her wound, the saliva from his tongue acting as medicine and closing her wound, leaving only two teeth marks and... something else that Yukino would soon come to find out.

"Now for the fun part." he said with a snicker, taking his new mate over to the middle of the clearing where she kept quiet, blushing profusely.

**Hours later at the guild**

Gray sat at a bench by himself, rocking back and forth as Erza paced the guild hall. Yukino had not returned from her "walk" yet, and they were beginning to fear the worst.

"You don't think she..." Gray began.

"No, of course not..." Erza replied.

Silence.

"ERZA, I THINK THAT YUKINO WENT AFTER NATSU AND HE LOST CONTROL AND HE RA-" Gray screamed, before being hit over the head by Erza as she screamed back,

"DO NOT THINK SUCH THOUGHTS, GRAY, I'M SURE SHE IS COMPLETELY FINE."

"But she's been gone for _hours!_" Gray shouted back.

"Well...maybe she just stopped to get some groceries on the way home." Erza replied, her eye twitching.

"Why would Yukino need gro-" he began, but was interrupted by Erza's idealism again.

"Yes, that's it Gray! She just stopped for groceries. I'm sure she will be back any minute, unscathed by- NATSUUU!" she shouted, spotting Natsu, who was still in his Primal Dragon Force, carrying Yukino in his arms, her eyes closed. He carried her over to the two, his tail wagging like a happy dog as he caressed her cheek with his scaly hand.

Drawing her sword, she screamed,

"NATSU, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? YOU KILLED HER!"

Making a "shhh" sign with his finger over his lips, he pointed at Yukino and mouthed "asleep." Still fuming, she angrily motioned for him to come over, and before he did, he motioned to Lisanna, who was watching, to come assist him, and instructed Lisanna to take Yukino and lay her down on a bed in the infirmary and assured her that she was not injured at all.

"Natsu, what did you do to her?!" she questioned angrily.

"Relax, Erza, she's not hurt in the slightest, but it is a very long story, so come sit with me and I will explain." he said calmly, motioning for his two friends to sit next to him. Erza and Gray reluctantly took a seat next to their scaly friend, as his tail idly thumped against the guild's wooden floor.

"Well, where to begin?" he asked, looking over at Erza.

"I don't know...where you took her innocence maybe!?" Erza shouted, stabbing her sword into the table. Gray about jumped a foot in the air where as Natsu didn't even blink.

"Well, first off, I didn't rape her, if that's what you're getting at. She came to me of her own will, and I gave her numerous opportunities to leave. Besides, taking her innocence wasn't my objective, it was _mating _Erza, and I was succesful." he said nonchalantly.

"DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH, NATSU!?" she shouted, slamming her hands on the table and Requipping a dagger into her hand and holding it at his throat.

"Go ahead, Erza. It's going to take a lot more to kill me than that." he said with a smug smile.

She didn't say anything, knowing very well herself that in Natsu's current form, there was very little she could do to hurt him, so threatening him with a dagger probably seemed pretty comical to him. Un-Requipping her dagger, she sat back down and crossed her arms.

"Well, as I was saying before, I did more than take Yukino's innocence. I mated with her, as all Dragon Slayers do with their significant other. Now that I've marked her, she's my mate for life." he said with his boyish smile.

"Wh-What?! What do you mean "marked her?" Erza asked, horrified.

"I bit her neck." he said nonchalantly.

"What's so significant about that?" Gray asked.

"Well, a lot of things, Gray. Dragons don't get married like humans, so when a dragon finds a mate, it marks the female's neck, claiming her as his own for the rest of their lives. When a dragon takes a mate, there is no going back, and the two are joined for life. The marking I gave Yu-chan is a lot more meaningful than just teeth marks, it's ancient magic that can only be used by Dragon Slayers that shares the attributes of a dragon with another human, something that is no longer possible without mating, since all of the real dragons are gone, so legitimate Dragon Slayer magic, or First Generation Dragon Slayer Magic, cannot be achieved.

Since I am of the First Generation, I shared my magic with Yu-chan when we mated, replacing her Celestial Spirit magic with my Fire Dragon Slaying magic. So, Gray, what do you think that makes Yukino?" he asked.

"She's...a Fire Dragon Slayer now?!" he asked in disbelief, to which Natsu nodded.

"Is-is such a thing even possible?" Erza asked, surprised at what he was telling her.

Nodding his head, he continued,

"That's the same for all Dragon Slayers. When Dragon Slayers mark their mates, they share their attributes with the person, also sharing their powers if they aren't already a Dragon Slayer. In addition to that, Yu-chan and I will most likely live twice as long as any of you, since we now share one life force." he said.

"Is that all?" Erza asked.

"Nope. The reason Yukino is asleep right now is due to the biological changes occuring in her body as a result of becoming a Dragon Slayer. When she wakes up, which should be some time today, she'll probably be a lot stronger physically and magically. Dragon Slayers have a larger magic capacity than normal mages, so she'll be able to last much longer in combat, as well as possessing the enhanced sight, hearing, smell, and the sixth sense that Dragon Slayers seem to possess exclusively." Natsu said.

"Sixth sense?" Gray and Erza asked in unison.

"Aye. It's a mostly unknown sense Dragon Slayers possess that allows them to communicate telepathically with others of their kind, a sort of link between all of the people that use our magic. It's also likely she's subject to a change in appearance, but I'm not so sure about that." he explained.

"How would her magic change her appearance? And if Dragon Slayers do have a 'sixth sense', why don't you, Gajeel, Wendy and Laxus ever use it?" Gray asked.

"Well it could be anything to an extra inch in height to a change in hair colour. All of this is written in a book from the guild library, by the way. There's probably lots of details that I'm leaving out, but Dragon Slayer magic drastically changes a human being. The sixth sense thing, as far as telepathic communication, only works between mates, Gray, but I can feel other Dragon Slayers' presences, if that's what you mean. Oh, one more thing that's _really _important." he added.

"What's that, Natsu?" Erza asked.

"When dragons take a mate, they're EXTREMELY protective of them. If they feel they're in danger or their mate is threatened, they're very likely to kill the person instigating it. This also applies to members of the opposite sex trying to separate the two, like, if Lucy tried to kiss me or something. If Yu-chan saw that happen, she might attack Lucy. Anyways, be wary of people that might try to separate the two, because when a dragon is separated from it's mate, it never ends well." he said very seriously.

"Good to know..." they said in unison, both imagining Yukino beating Lucy to a pulp after kissing Natsu.

"Anyways, is there anything else you guys needed to know? I'm not hiding anything from you." he said.

"Does that mean Yukino is on the same level as you, power wise?" Gray asked.

"I don't know yet, but I would assume that she's close to me. Our magic and magical power is now identical, but our technique probably varies. Who knows, she might be more powerful than me." he said modestly.

"Can she use Primal Dragon Force too, then?!" Gray asked.

"I guess so, I can't wait to see her kick your ass, Gray!" he said, laughing at his own joke.

"As if! I'd totally destro-" he began, but was interrupted when Natsu shot him a glare that could literally kill him, saying in a demonic voice,

"Or you would _what, _Gray?" he said, threatening the person who had dared speak of harming his new mate.

Gulping loudly, he responded,

"N-nothing, Natsu, I'd let her beat me up..." he whimpered.

"Great! Nice to know you're being a good sport for once, Gray." he said, instantly reverting to his cheerful attitude.

"Hey, Natsu, weren't you supposed to return to normal by now? Why are you still in that form?" Erza asked, eyeing his scaly body.

"What-oh! I guess you're right, Erza, I hardly even noticed. Strange, it feels...really natural to be like this. I kind of like it." he said, looking down at his scaly hands.

"Natsu..." Erza began, a tone of worry present in her voice, "maybe give that form a break, alright? You shouldn't spend too much time like that, it can't be good for you."

"Yeah...yeah, you're right, Erza." he said, returning to normal, his heavy scales hitting the ground with a _clunk _as they fell off of his body.

_For a second there, it seemed like he didn't want to return to normal,_ Erza thought. _Is it really good for him to be using that form so much in succession? _Erza had paid attention to Natsu's words during the fight with Sting, and she thought of what he had said to Sting about Primal Dragon Force:

"_The only other person to have used this form was Acnologia, not that he's around to tell you about it. That's the reason I try to restrict myself from using this form unless I feel I need to, the more that I use it brings me closer to becoming a real dragon."_

Worried for her friend, she suggested that they all go check on Yukino in the infirmary. Natsu immediately agreed, leading the group behind him to go check on his mate. Entering the infirmary, he thanked Lisanna who had been sitting at her bedside, and sat down next to the sleeping young woman. Natsu wasn't lying when he said there was a slight change in appearance, Erza could tell that Yukino's fangs were growing in and she noticed her hair had grown an astounding length in such a short time, reaching all the way down her back.

Natsu, putting his hand on her cheek, smiled as he eyed the young woman and kissed her on the forehead as he said that they should give her some space. Closing the door behind him, he smiled and closed the door, eager to spend the next day with his girlfriend.

**Some time later**_  
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Yukino awoke with a start, panting heavily and feeling very dizzy. She didn't remember much about what had happened to her before she passed out, besides Natsu marking her and their... _other activities. _Looking around the room, she looked like she was in a pseudo-hospital, which she guessed was the guild infirmary. It was nighttime, the moon's light shining in through the window and leaving an odd glow that illuminated parts of the room. She felt strange, like her own body was foreign to her. She moved her tongue around in her mouth, and felt..._fangs? _

Unsure if she was imagining them, she touched them with her fingers, and sure enough, just like Natsu, she had sharp and pointy canine teeth. Examining her new features, she felt around her whole body, noticing her much lengthier hair and seemingly more developed muscles. Feeling around where Natsu had marked her, she felt a strange warm and tingling sensation that, as she felt further, reached all the way around her neck and was snaking it's way down her left arm. Slightly unnerved at the sensation, she got to her feet and stumbled over to the bathroom to examine herself in the mirror.

What she saw surprised her greatly, but not nearly as unnerving as she had imagined. Wrapping around her neck and making it's way down her arm was a beautiful pattern of black flames that stemmed from her neck where Natsu had bit her. Also noticing her new super-long hair, which she would think wouldn't look good on her, actually looked very beautiful and felt smooth as silk. True to her feelings, she had put on a good amount of muscle compared to before, and she also picked up on a difference in her ears: they were pointier and smaller than before, giving her an elfish appearance. They weren't apparently for show either, because she could now hear sounds that she never heard before: the wind blowing outside, even though it was not windy at all, as well as the ambient background noise of the light buzzing in the background. _  
><em>

_Is all of this happening because Natsu-sama mated with me?_ she asked herself, and to her surprise, she recieved an answer.

_"Yu-chan? Is that you?" _she heard a familiar voice ask.

_"Natsu-sama?" _she thought.

_"Wow, this is so cool! Say, Yu-chan, how are you feeling?" _Natsu asked her mentally.

_"My hair is really long, and I have pointy teeth and super hearing and I feel a lot stronger for some reason. What's happening to me, Natsu-sama?" _she asked him.

_"Well, I don't know how to really tell you, Yu-chan, but when we mated, you took on the attributes of a dragon, just as I do. All of the changes happening to you, the teeth, hearing, the longer hair and sudden strength... it's because you're a Fire Dragon Slayer, like me." _he responded.

_"What?! You mean...I can use your magic now?!" _she asked.

_"Yeah, give it a try, Yu-chan. Imagine fire in the palm of your hand, trust me, it should feel second nature to you." _he answered.

Taking a minute to compose herself, she held out her palm and did as he instructed, and she felt the warm blaze of a small fire burst from her hand.

_"Wow, this is amazing! Thank you so much, Natsu-sama!" _she said.

_"Don't mention it," _he said, laughing to himself, _"but I'm afraid to tell you that you can't use Celestial Spirit magic anymore, Yu-chan. I'm sorry." _

_"Natsu-sama...don't feel bad. Even though I'll miss my spirits, I'll give my keys to Lucy-san. It's OK, really." _she replied.

_"I'm...so glad to hear." _he said, sighing in her head, _"But, Yu-chan, do you feel alright? You were asleep for a long time." _

_"I feel really good, actually. I'm getting used to my new body already. Where are you, by the way, Natsu-sama?" _she asked.

_"I'm at home, Yu-chan. I'll be waiting for you, I have a surprise." _he said, ceasing their mental conversation.

Wondering what he had wanted to show her, she walked out of the infirmary and out into the nearly-deserted guild hall. She figured it must be very late at night, since the only people (or person, rather) that was there was Mirajane, who was idly washing dishes with a bored look on her face. When she noticed Yukino leaving the infirmary, her head shot up and she called out to her,

"Yukino! Are you finally feeling alright?!" she called out to her from across the guild hall.

Walking over to greet her, Mira gasped at her new hairstyle that had appeared as a result of her transformation, saying,

"Wow, Yukino, your new hair is beautiful! How did you get it to grow that fast!?" she asked, dying to know her secret.

"Eh, well...it's kind of a long story, Mira-san. Do you mind if I leave now, Natsu-sama told me that he had to show me something back at his house." she replied.

"Oh, you can go whenever you wish, Yukino. But, how did you know that Natsu wanted you home?" she asked.

"Call it a Dragon Slayer's intuition." she said nonchalantly, waving at Mira and running out the guild doors and into the night, leaving Mira confused and curious at her interesting comment.

Yukino had never experienced the outdoors like she could now, she could hear all of the little sounds she never noticed before, and the smells of the open world were all so new to her. She marvelled at her new senses as she walked towards her mate's home, taking in all of the little details and making careful observations. Her pointy ears pricked up at the sounds of owls hooting, crickets chirping and the low howl of the wind. It was like being born anew, experiencing these sensations for the first time.

As she reached the outside of Natsu's house, she noticed the small sign that Natsu had outside the front of his house which normally read "Natsu's Home", but now read "Natsu and Yukino's home". She thought the gesture was very sweet, and she knocked on the door, as Natsu came and opened it for her.

"Oi, Yu-chan! Wow, your new hair is so pretty!" he exclaimed, earning a blush from the silver-haired Dragon Slayer.

"Thank you, Natsu-sama, but what is it that you wanted to show me so badly?" she asked.

"Ah, well...come take a look for yourself." he replied, taking her hand and leading her out his back door and into his backyard, where a large furnace that was sculpted to look like a dragon's mouth sat in the middle of his yard. The fire inside of it's mouth burned brightly, lighting up the dark surrounding area with an ominous orange glow.

"Natsu-sama, what is that?" she asked, confused as to whether this was her gift or not.

"Ah, but you'll see in a moment, Yu-chan." he responded slyly, walking over to the dragon's mouth and reaching inside of it, pulling out a small object and closing it in his palm, and then hiding his hand behind his back. Turning back around to face Yukino, he walked up to her and looked into her eyes for a moment, as if trying to find words.

"Yukino, when you came to see me earlier today, it was one of the scariest moments in my life. Not because I'm scared of you, but because I was scared of hurting you, scared of doing something I would regret for the rest of my life. Not too long ago, you joined our guild, and that made me happy to know that you had such a loving family and a guild hall that you could call home. I told you a long time ago that I wasn't sure what made you different from the other girls in the guild, but I've finally realised what that is." he said, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"Yukino, I will always fight for you, cry with you, and I would die for you. No woman has ever made me feel like that, not Lucy, not Lisanna and not Erza. What I found in you that I couldn't in anyone else was a person that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. A person that if I woke up and I wasn't next to, it would feel like a nightmare. Someone that I can nurture, and protect, and they can do the same for me. Someone that should I lose, would make me half of a whole, a shell of the person I used to be. Words can barely describe what I feel for you, Yukino, you're one of a kind, the only medicine to cure my sadness and the key to my happiness. Every day with you is a day in Heaven, and I don't want to go back down to Earth again, not ever. That's why I want you, and only you, Yukino." he said.

After that, he opened his palm and placed the ring made of gold, forged in the flames of a dragon and embedded with a piece of his soul on her finger, saying,

_"Will you marry me, Yukino?"_

_Is this a dream? _she thought, _Is this really happening? _

_"If this is a dream,_ Natsu said in her mind, _"then I hope it's one that I never awake from. I love you, Yukino." _

Jumping into his arms, tears streaming down her face, she shouted,

"Yes, oh my God, yes, Natsu-sama! I thought you would never ask..."

"Yukino, I'm so happy that I'll finally be able to call you my wife. This is the happiest day of my life." he said, running his fingers through her long silver hair.

"Me too, Natsu-sama. I love you so much, I don't know what to say. This really is a dream come true." she replied through tears of happiness.

**Somewhere far away...**

"Natsu." Igneel said, smiling to himself. "You've found yourself a wonderful mate, haven't you? I'm so proud."


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! To anyone that thinks the story is coming to a close, I've had a good idea for a new arc laying in bed last night which will probably take at least like 5-6 more chapters so the ride isn't over yet! If you haven't already, fav and follow please, it lets me know people enjoy my story and want to see more updates. Leave me a review if you liked it too, all the kind reviews leave a smile on my face! Enjoy!**

_"Mental Dialogue"_

"Normal Diagolue"

_Thoughts_

**Chapter 5: Broken Hearts and Shattered Dreams**

Yukino's eyes fluttered open at the sound of something cooking on the stove, looking over at the kitchen to see her fiancée cooking something with a large flame. Rubbing her eyes, she mentally communicated to him,

_"Ohayou, Natsu-sama."_

_"Oh, Ohayou, Yu-chan. Sleep well?"_ he asked.

_"Aye. What is that you're making, Natsu-sama?"_ she asked, pointing at the pan with a large flame roaring inside of it in his hand.

_"Oh, this is breakfast, Yu-chan. Since we're both Fire Dragon Slayers, we eat a lot of fire to keep our strength up. It'll taste good, trust me."_ he said with a grin.

_"If you say so, I've never tasted fire before."_ she replied.

_"It's nothing like you've ever tasted, here, try some."_ he said, setting down his pan and taking a spoon as he scooped out a little piece of the flames.

Walking over to her, she opened her mouth as he spoon-fed her the fire, which to her surprise, was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted.

"Wow, this is delicious, Natsu-sama!" she said excitedly, continuing their conversation out loud.

"I told you. I'm happy that someone finally complimented my cooking." he said with a laugh.

"Can I please have some more?!" she begged, looking up at him with wishful eyes.

"Sure you can, but come sit at the table with me." he replied, helping her out of bed and taking her over to the table, where he pushed her chair out for her before sitting for himself.

Setting a plate of fire in front of her, she thanked him for the meal and dug in, shovelling spoonfuls of hot flame into her mouth, enjoying every bite.

"I really like your mark, Yu-chan, I didn't think it would spread past your neck." he said.

Pausing her eating for a moment she set her spoon down and rubbed her mark of black flames that ran up her arm and wrapped around her neck like a scarf, the black flames in contrast with her fair skin.

"I love it, Natsu-sama, it's like my own little piece of you I can carry at all times." she said, rubbing her arm.

Smiling, he asked her,

"Do you like your ring, Yu-chan?" he asked.

_I almost forgot about that!_ she shouted in her head, remembering that Natsu could hear her thoughts too and surveyed the ring on her finger. She wasn't able to notice the details in the dark last night, but she could clearly see it now: a gold ring, with the small mouth of a dragon that held a small red jewel, which cackled with a small flame inside of it.

"It's beautiful. I love it, Natsu-sama." she said, "Where did you buy such a ring?"

"Well, since I figured Gajeel was good with metal, even if it wasn't iron, and I asked if he was any good at blacksmithing and if he could make me a ring for my proposal. He said he would give it a try, and he made the ring and added the dragon which would hold the jewel. The "jewel" is actually one of the broken scales from my Primal Dragon Force, and I enchanted a small piece of my fire to burn eternally inside of it." he replied.

"Wow, that's very creative of you, Natsu-sama. Hey, shouldn't we go tell everyone at the guild about our engagement?" she asked, eager to tell her friends about her new ring.

"Can't we at least finish breakfast first?" Natsu whined.

"Fine, but after that, we're going alright?" she told Natsu.

"Aye!" he said as they both dug back into their plates of fire. Finishing their meal, only after Yukino had seconds, they headed hand in hand to their guild.

"I wonder how everyone is going to take it." Natsu said.

"Well, most people should be happy for us, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, most people..." Natsu replied, his voice trailing off. Even if he didn't share all of his thoughts with Yukino, she knew who he was thinking of.

"Natsu-sama, you aren't having second thoughts, are you?" she sad with a sad tone.

Stopping her, he looked fiercely into her eyes and responded,

"Do _not_ talk like that, I regret nothing that I have done with you, Yu-chan. I'm just concerned how..._she's_ going to take it."

Even though he hadn't used her name, she knew he meant Lucy.

"I don't want to make anybody mad as a result of our relationship, Natsu-sama, but you have to let her know eventually. It wouldn't be fair to keep her in the dark, especially when you're engaged." she said reassuringly.

"You're right, I just have to suck it up and deal with it, I guess." he said.

The pair entering the guild, Lucy, who had recovered from her "illness" the other day and having just returned from a mission and was blissfully unaware of Natsu and Yukino's engagement, let alone their relationship to begin with, chose a very poor time to jump up from her chair and hug Natsu, smothering his face in her chest.

"Natsu, I missed you so much over the past week, where have you be-" she began, when she heard a very angry and animalistic growl from behind her. Turning around, she saw Yukino with her fists clenched, her knuckles turning white and baring her fangs at the blonde-haired Celestial Mage.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Lucy shrieked, hiding behind Natsu as she peered out from behind his back at the enraged young woman.

_This is not good,_ Natsu thought to himself, _I never got the chance to warn Lucy about the mating thing, and now Yu-chan feels like her mate is in danger._

"Natsu, why is Yukino growling at me and why does she have fangs and why did she get a tattoo and why is her hair so pretty and-" she shouted, as Natsu stomped him foot on the ground, shaking the guild hall as he shouted,

"THAT'S ENOUGH."

Surprised at his very sudden change of tone, Lucy asked,

"Natsu? What's going on?"

Shooting Yukino a look as to say "Let me explain this to her," he turned back to Lucy and said,

"Lucy, please come sit down."

Beckoning her to come sit next to him at the table, Lucy took a seat as the entire guild held it's breath, eager to see what happened next. Sighing, Natsu began,

"Lucy, I've not been completely straight forward with you this past week, and now is the time where I need to tell you the truth in it's entirety. Earlier this week, Yukino became my girlfriend." he said, letting this all sink in for a moment before continuing.

"At first, it was just a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, and I was content with that. However, this week also marked the beginning of the mating season for Dragon Slayers, and I did as I usually did and hid out in the forest. What I didn't plan on, however, was Yukino coming after me. I tried to keep myself away from her, but she insisted it was OK and that she wanted to be my mate, and that's when we..." he said, trailing off and giving Lucy a minute to herself to think.

"W-Wait, is this some kind of joke? Typical of you to do something so stupid Natsu, you almost had me fooled there." she said, but when she looked into his eyes, they told a different story. She saw sadness, regret and sincerity in those big onyx pools, something that confirmed her worst fears: Natsu was not joking, this was real.

"B-but..." she began, tears flowing, "we were... but you...and I were going to...you...w-w-_why_, Natsu? How could you?" she said, completely breaking down and sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder, screaming at the top of her lungs. Natsu teared up as well, he felt terrible that he was causing her so much pain.

"I-I-I _loved_ you, Natsu...I-I ne-never could admit it, b-but I always l-loved you. N-now...you, and _her?_" she said, tears continuing to flow as she just cried and cried into Natsu's vest.

"_Lucy_..." he began, but she cut him off, looking up at him with watery brown eyes that made his heart break,

"We were going to get m-married..." she said between sobs, completely taking Natsu off guard.

"Wh-what did you say, Lucy?" he asked in utter disbelief.

"I-I always d-dreamed of being m-married to you, Natsu. It-It was all that k-kept me going at times, p-p-please don't leave me alone! _My heart can't take it!_" she said, resuming her uncontrollable sobbing. Natsu felt so conflicted, part of him was saying that he could never abandon Yukino, that she was his mate for life, while the other side of his conscience waged war against the other half, saying that Lucy was the one he had to be with forever, not Yukino.

He had never felt so stuck in his life, he didn't know what to do or say, all eyes were on him, eager to know what he would do, would he choose Lucy or Yukino? Someone was going to get their heart broken, but Natsu still didn't know who.

"Lucy..." he began, now crying himself, "please...don't cry, _I can't take it either._"

Yukino about lost control, her instincts were kicking in and she pounced at the girl who was threatening to steal him from her, when she froze dead in her tracks as he turned around and screamed,

"WAIT!" in a voice that would make dogs run away with their tails between their legs. His voice sounded abnormal, similar to when he was in Primal Dragon Force, low and rough. Turning back towards Lucy, he put his hand under her chin and looked into her big brown eyes, tears still streaming down her face.

"Lucy," he began, "I'm...so sorry for everything that's happened to you. I wish I could help you, I do, but...my heart belongs to Yukino. Please, understand, OK?" he said, his heart audibly breaking from sadness.

Releasing him, Lucy stood up and ran out the guild door, still sobbing.

"Luce, wait!" he called after her, but let his hand fall to the side as he fell to his knees. He propped himself up with his hands as he just stared at the wooden floor of the guild hall, his tears falling rhythmically against the cold surface. At that moment, Yukino pounced on Natsu, a feral look in her eye as she bit into his neck with her fangs, drawing blood and causing Natsu to cry out in pain.

"YUKINO!" the guild called in unison at the sight of Natsu's girlfriend pouncing on him like an animal. As quickly as she had bit him, she had begun to lick at his wound, much like Natsu when he marked her, her saliva healing and closing the wound. The guild didn't step in and just watched as she licked at his neck like an animal, as she picked him up in her arms, saying only one word,

"**Mine**."

The guild stood and just watched as Yukino held her mate in her arms, not making a sound or any moves.

"Yu-chan, you can put me down you know." Natsu said, awkwardly hanging in her arms.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Natsu-sama." she said, putting him down and onto his feet. "I didn't mean to do that so abruptly, I apologise."

"I don't really mind, but you don't have to pounce on me next time." he said, rubbing his neck.

"Yukino, what is that on your hand?" Erza asked, looking at her ring.

"Oh, Natsu-sama proposed!" she squealed with excitement. That we met by a scream of congratulations from the guild, which had no idea something this important had happened. Yukino and Natsu were whisked apart by their respective friends to congratulate them on tying the knot.

"I knew you had it in you, Natsu." Gray said, slapping him on the back.

"Natsu is a MAN!" Elfman roared, also slapping him on the back.

"Congratulations, Natsu. If only Laxus would propose to me..." he whispered to himself, but Laxus, who was in earshot, heard and promptly knocked him across the guild hall with a force that cracked the pillar he hit and slumped against.

"ARE YOU INSINUATING THAT I'M FUCKING GAY?!" Laxus screamed.

Natsu and his friends burst out laughing at Freed's shenanigans, and then Natsu remembered Lucy from only a few minutes ago bawling her eyes out, and that sad expression returned to his face. Gray, who noticed this, said,

"Natsu, come with me for a minute."

Gesturing for Natsu to follow, he led him out the back into the guild courtyard, birds chirping and the cool breeze hitting Natsu softly and caressing his cheek.

"What is it, Gray?" he asked with a sigh.

"Natsu, you can't blame yourself for what happened with Lucy, that's not fair." Gray said.

"Why shouldn't I blame myself? It was me that broke her heart, not anyone else." Natsu responded.

"Natsu, it's not your fault for choosing Yukino, your fiancée, over your friend. It would have been wrong to betray Yukino's feelings now, after all you've been through together." Gray said.

"I know that, Gray, but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty about breaking her heart. I wish I could just go back in time and just do things differently, maybe all of this could have been avoided..." he said, looking down at the ground.

"So you would take back everything you've done for and said to Yukino to make Lucy feel better? Are you convinced that breaking Yukino's heart instead of Lucy's will make you feel better, a more justified decision? You're too busy looking in hindsight when you should be looking towards the future! You're engaged, to a woman that loves you with all her heart! What's so wrong about that?!" he said, shaking Natsu by the shoulders, shouting,

"Open your eyes, Natsu! Snap out of it!"

"Gray..." he began, "you're...you're right. I was so focused on making Lucy happy that I lost sight on what was most important. Forgive me."

Smiling and putting one hand in his shoulder, Gray responded,

"Hey, don't beat yourself up. You just wanted to make everybody happy, even in an impossible situation. It's sad that Lucy and Yukino can't both be happy, but sometimes you have to make decisions in your own interest, Natsu." he said reassuringly.

"I just wish nobody had to get their feelings hurt." he said, his ears drooping.

"I know you do, Natsu, but Yukino belongs to you and you belong to her now. When you proposed to her, were you thinking of your future with her, or Lucy?" he asked.

"Well, Yukino obviously, but..." he began, but Gray cut him off.

"Lucy knows how to push your buttons Natsu, I understand why you might be having doubts about your marriage, and-" Gray began, but was interrupted by Natsu promptly slapping Gray across the face with such a force that he fell to the ground.

"DON'T YOU DARE. I WOULD NEVER TAKE BACK WHAT I'VE DONE WITH HER, DON'T THINK THAT FOR EVEN A SECOND!" he shouted at Gray, who was sitting on the ground rubbing his cheek in shock.

"Well, if it wasn't obvious who you really have feelings for before, it certainly is now." Gray said with a smirk.

"What!?" Natsu half shouted at him.

"Clearly you feel much stronger about Yukino than Lucy, even if you love them both. I hope I helped you realise that." he replied.

_Gray couldn't be more right_, he thought. Offering his hand to Gray, who was still on the ground, he lifted his friend up and apologised to him,

"I'm sorry I hit you, Gray." Natsu said apologetically.

"Don't worry about it, Natsu. Come on, I think Gramps had something to announce to the guild." he said, gesturing for him to follow him back into the guild hall. Upon entering the guild, Natsu noticed that the entire guild was now dark, the lights being dimmed. When he set foot inside, however, a spotlight was shone on his and Gray's entrance, blinding him as Mira said via microphone,

"Ladies and gentlemen, Natsu Dragneel!" she said enthusiastically, earning a huge round of applause and cheers from the crowd that was still cloaked in darkness. Another spotlight flashed onto the stage, which was occupied by the master who took the mic and said,

"Natsu! Get on up here!" he said, pointing at him with one finger. Confused but obediently, he walked over to the stage and ascended the stairs and stood next to the Master.

"Now that Natsu and Gray have returned, we can begin. As you all know, I'm getting on in the years, and this has become very apparent recently. I'm not sure how much longer I am fit to call myself your Master, but I would like very much to enjoy my remaining years in comfort and lack of is the reason that I will be holding a voting for the new Guild Master, which will begin immediately. Those of you that are indifferent do not have to vote, but I wish to have members that do want a say in the matter to come up and address your concerns on who should be the new Master. Who would like to go first?" he asked.

Hundreds of hands shot up at once as the Master surveyed the room looking for his first voter.

"Erza, why don't you come up?" he asked, as the spotlight shined onto Erza, who stood up and walked over to the stage and ascended the stairs. Taking the mic, she gave Natsu a friendly smile before speaking,

"I already know who some of you might be thinking should be the next Master: Laxus, myself or even Mira, but I would have you know we are all as unlikely a candidate as yourself! Laxus has shown his loyalty, but does not act rationally and is too nonchalant to lead a guild by himself! Mira is much too kind, and I have too many emotional hurdles to get over to lead so many individuals. There is only ONE candidate that I would be proud to call my new Master, and that... is Natsu!" she said, turning around and pointing at him.

"Me?" he asked in disbelief. "What have I done to deserve to be Master?"

"Do not be so modest, Natsu, if anyone truly deserves to be Master it's you. You've fought harder for our guild and it's members than anyone here and nobody can contest that. You take the most pride in our name, and are strong, compassionate and intelligent, even if you don't believe it yourself. Some may question your maturity, but look at you Natsu: you're getting married! You're committing to spend the rest of your life with someone you've known for such a short time, putting all of your faith in Yukino! That takes a great deal of maturity, not to mention you are very smart, Natsu, don't let anyone tell you differently. I do not believe you would make rash and idiotic decisions as a Master, I believe you would be one of the best as well as the kindest! You know exactly what it takes to be a Fairy Tail mage, better than anybody else! My vote is for Natsu!" she said, dropping the mic and walking off the stage to a roar of applause.

"Very convincing, Erza, now who will go next?" the Master asked.

"I will." Gajeel said from the back of the room

Walking up to the stage and taking the mic as Erza did, he began,

"Listen, Natsu, (he rarely used any other name for him than Salamander) as much as you might doubt your own abilities, everyone else is able to look at it with an unbiased opinion. Even if I don't say so, I'm sure you can feel our connection, whether it's because we're Dragon Slayers or friends, I'm not sure. I can honestly say that I've never come across somebody quite like you in my entire life. You're strong, forgiving and fiercely loyal. I even kind of..._look up to you._" he muttered, going a little red in the face, "but that's not the point! In the short time I've been here, I can tell who fights the hardest for his friends, and it's clear that it's you. My vote is for Natsu." he said, dropping the mic and hopping off the stage.

"Well, well, Natsu is surprisingly popular! One more person?" Master Makarov asked, surveying the room.

"I will." a voice called from the back of the room. The spotlight moving to the source of the voice, it shone upon the one person Natsu was hoping he wouldn't see: Lucy. Walking from the back of the guild, the crowd parted like Moses and the Red Sea as she slowly walked up to the stage.

_Keep it together, Natsu,_ he thought.

Taking the mic, she looked at him before beginning, her eyes puffy and red like she had recently finished crying.

"I...I think that Natsu should be the Master." she said, her voice quivering like she was having trouble continuing after saying his name.

_Please don't cry, please don't cry, please don't cry..._ he thought to himself as he fought back tears after hearing the pain in her voice.

"Natsu was the one who made my dream of joining Fairy Tail a reality. He's the proudest and friendliest man that I know, and I believe he would truly make an amazing Master. I mean, look at him!" she said, turning to face him, which only made it more difficult to keep his composure because now he could see every ounce of sadness in her large brown eyes.

"He's getting married, he's growing up! He's turning into a strong, kind man, who I would love to call my Master." she said kindly.

At the mention of the word _love_, Natsu cracked a little, tears escaping his eyes and silently falling down his cheeks.

"Why..._why_ are you saying these things, Lucy? I don't deserve your praise..." he said, looking up at her with a sad expression. Putting her hand on his cheek, she smiled down at him. It wasn't her normal smile, it was that smile that drove him crazy, the one where her eyes would get all soft and his stomach would get butterflies, and said,

"Silly, you didn't do anything wrong. It was my fault that I didn't tell you how I feel, not yours. Don't blame yourself for my own shortcomings. I might be a bit sad, but that doesn't mean that I don't want you to be happy either. Go on, Natsu, everyone wants you to lead us. Won't you lead me too?" she asked.

He didn't know what to say to her, and looked over at the Master and said,

"Gramps?"

"Natsu...you've grown so much since you joined the guild. The arrogant, rash individual that I once knew has become an example for the younger generation, the one that they aspire to be like when they grow up. My vote is also for you, Natsu."

Looking back at Lucy silently as if to ask if this was really what she wanted, and she nodded back and smiled at him. Now taking the mic for himself, he began,

"I...I don't know what to say, everyone. I..." he said, trailing off.

_"If it means anything to you, Natsu-sama, I also vote for you. You can do it, I believe in you."_ Yukino said in his head.

That was all the motivation that he needed, as he screamed into the mic,

"I'LL DO IT!"

Breathing fire into the air and flexing his muscles, the crowd roared in excitement screaming his name. Running up to the stage, Yukino jumped into his arms, shouting,

_"I love you, Master!"_

**Almost a year later**

"Master Natsu, tell us how you beat up the dragon again!" the young new guild members eagerly chanted as they circled their Master.

"But you already know that story, you guys, I've told you like a hundred times." Natsu replied with a sigh.

"It never gets old, Master!" they changed in response.

"I'll tell you all later tonight, alright?" he promised, "Now, don't you have some bandits to be beating up?" he asked.

"Aye sir!" they said in unison, running off.

He smiled at himself, remembering when he had been selected as the new Master almost a year ago. _I never thought being the Master would be this much fun!_

_"Natsu-Onii-chan!"_ Wendy called from across the guild. He found it odd at first, being called "Onii-chan" by Wendy a short time after he became Guild Master, but he found it cute, so he never said anything.

"Oi, Wendy! How are you?" he asked cheerily.

"I'm great, Onii-chan! Have you seen the fliers for the next Grand Magic Games?" she asked him.

"Aye, I have." he said with a serious tone.

"And...?" she asked, eager for a real response.

"And...we're totally going to kick everyone's ass!" he said, flexing the arm with his Fairy Tail mark, his other arm now identical to Yukino's, with the mark of the black flames reaching all the way around it, probably from when she marked him a year ago.

"Yay! I can't wait, Onii-chan!" she shouted as he picked her up on his shoulders and ran around breathing fire and screaming about the GMG. _Wendy has really become like a little sister to me this past year,_ he thought to himself. _It's nice, though, I always wanted a sibling._ As far as Natsu was concerned, blood was just a title, and your real brothers and sisters were the ones you would do anything for, which is why Fairy Tail always felt like a huge extended family.

"Jeez, our Master never runs out of steam." Gray told Juvia, who was clutching his arm and leaning against his shoulder.

"Juvia agrees with Gray-sama, but it does make the guild very lively." she replied.

It had only been a year, but Natsu had a major change to appearance in the short time. He had finally gotten a shorter haircut, his hair still reminiscent of it's old style but shorter, and his face looked manlier from the couple of scars he had on his face from the various battles against Dark Guilds over the year. His outfit had become more normal, consisting of a tank top in place of his usual vest, with real shorts to replace his baggy pants he usually wore.

If it was possible for him to become even more muscular, he had accomplished it, now looking like a scaled down version of Laxus. Natsu had become even more ferocious in combat, often able to destroy numerous Dark Guilds by himself in a single day, quite often leaving few to tell the tale, that weren't behind bars at least. He was able to activate Primal Dragon Force instantly and using very little magic power, and his normal power and endurance rivalled that of Hades when he still had his Devil-Heart-thing active.

"Natsu-sama!" his wife called from across the guild. Setting down Wendy, he ran over to her and embraced her, kissing her on the lips and purring quietly to himself as he held her. Yukino as well had grown considerably the past year. She had mastered Fire Dragon Slayer magic, much like Natsu, and was able to use her Primal Dragon Force as well, which looked identical to his, save for the silver scales instead of Natsu's red scales. Natsu and Yukino were regarded as the strongest team in all of Fiore, their power equal to millions of soldiers respectively. Being the wife of the Guild Master, the "guild mistress" as Natsu liked to call it, she too had some authority in the guild and often was consulted by Natsu before he made decisions on the guild's behalf. She too was admired by the younger generations, an idol for young girls, strong and beautiful.

"Natsu-sama, are we going to enter the GMG this year?" she asked her husband.

"Of course, Yu-chan, why wouldn't we? I want you to take home the trophy for us!" he exclaimed.

"Me? You want me to be on the team-" she started, but Natsu wasn't hearing it.

"Yu-chan, stop. You don't have to be so modest." he said.

"Well...OK then! I won't let you down, Natsu-sama!" she said excitedly.

"Of course you won't, but who else is going to participate? We have a tonne of strong members, and only four more positions." he asked.

"You're the Master, Natsu-sama, just pick them." she said as if it was that simple.

"Alright then!" he exclaimed, walking over to the stage and getting everyone's attention before speaking into the mic,

"Oi, everyone!" he called, and was met with his usual chorus of "MASTER!" whenever he addressed the guild. All of Fairy Tail_adored _Natsu, and he was often called one of the best Masters they ever had, which always made Mavis pout and cry, until Natsu reassured her that she was a far better Master than he was.

"As you all probably know by now, the next Grand Magic Games is close, and it's time to select the members to represent Fairy Tail!"

At the mention of this, hundreds of hands shot up into the air, begging to be picked but Natsu has his own plan for the guild.

"The most, uh, _"logical"_ thing to do would just be to pick the strongest members that have the most experience and crush the competition, but I don't believe that's the best way to go about things. I think that the new generation of Fairy Tail needs their turn in the spotlight, which is why besides Yu-chan, nobody besides one person that participated last year will be participating in this year's GMG!" he shouted, which got a mixed response from the crowd.

"Instead, this will be this year's team composition: Yukino, Wendy, Levy, Lisanna and Rin!"

"Rin?" the crowd asked in a confused tone.

"Oh, that's right! I haven't had the chance to tell you all, but after destroying another Dark Guild the other day, I ran into a young man who peaked my interest. He had nowhere else to go, and he reminded me of myself, all alone without anyone around to help him. So, I did the only sensible thing and invited him to join Fairy Tail! Rin, come on up here." he said, beckoning to the back of the crowd.

Making his way through the crowd was a young man who couldn't be older than 15 or 16, with vibrant blue hair similar to Jellal's. He wore a blue tank top with shorts, his outfit similar to Natsu's, and looked quite buff for his age. He said nothing as he made his way through the guild and on up to the stage, where Natsu slapped his hand on his back and introduced him,

"Everyone, meet Rin, Fairy Tail's Water Dragon Slayer!"

"ANOTHER ONE!?" screamed the crowd in disbelief.

"Hello everyone." he said politely, "I'm looking forward to representing my guild in the GMG."

"HE'S NOTHING LIKE NATSU!" the crowd screamed again.

"Don't be so shy, Rin, I'm sure you'll do a great job. Wendy, can you show him around the guild after this?" Natsu asked the young girl.

"Sure, Onii-chan!" she happily responded.

"Wendy, you shouldn't call him that..." Charle said, rolling her eyes.

_Are they siblings, then?_ Rin thought. _They don't look like brother and sister to me._

"How did you find him, Natsu-sama?" Yukino asked, just as surprised as all the other members.

"Well, after I finished wiping out that Dark Guild, I stopped at a river to get something to drink when I ran into Rin. I asked him what he was doing out in the forest, and he told me he lives there. I asked where his family was, and he said his father disappeared in the year X777, and it was then that I guessed he was a Dragon Slayer too. I asked him if he wanted to join my guild, and he was curious, and followed me back here. I just made him an official member today, so everyone had best give him a warm welcome, because him and Yu-chan and everybody else are going to lead us to victory!" he shouted, earning Rin a cheer from the crowd. Now that he was done speaking, Natsu and the rest of the crowd dispersed throughout the guild, Natsu taking Rin to the side and saying to him,

"Rin, I've already arranged an apartment for you, if you need anything just ask Gray, myself or any other members of the guild. This is your family now, there's no need to feel shy."

"Wow, thanks Master!" he replied happily.

"Don't mention it." he said, slapping him on the back and walking off to find his wife.

After hanging around for a few more hours, Natsu and Yukino decided to turn in and left for the night. Walking hand in hand, Yukino asked her husband,

"Natsu-sama, you said Rin-san was the Water Dragon Slayer?"

"Aye. He's a strong one, I can tell." he responded.

"I didn't even know there was a Water Dragon Slayer." she said honestly.

"Apparently there are a lot of Dragon Slayers we don't know about, so a major elemental Dragon Slayer doesn't really surprise me." he said.

"I mean, how many different kinds of Dragon Slayers are there?" she asked.

"Probably hundreds, dragons are an ancient species so I'd find it hard to believe there was only like ten elements or something." he responded.

"I imagine we have the most Dragon Slayers in all of Fiore in our guild, then." she said.

"Aye, most likely. Dragon Slayers are few, but you'd think they were common in Fairy Tail. I'm interested in seeing how the new team performs, though. I think he'll work well with all of the other members." he said, putting his faith in his guildmates.

"I understand why you did what you did, Natsu-sama, but if winning was our goal, than shouldn't we have just had a team such as myself, Erza, Laxus, Gray and Gajeel?" she asked.

"Well, to me at least, winning is great, but there's a lot you can learn and gain from fighting strong opponents. I think everyone on the team, including you, has infinite potential, and I'm doing my job as a Guild Master to nurture that talent, and shape it into true strength. I'm going to be training Wendy by myself, I think you should train Rin, Yu-chan. He's a Dragon Slayer as well, and I'm sure he can learn a lot from watching you." he said.

"Well, I can try, but I can't promise that he'll become crazy strong before the GMG. Are you sure we shouldn't be doing this the other way around?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. She knew Wendy wasn't going to "steal her man", but she couldn't help find it a little unnerving, to her at least, to hear her husband being called "Onii-chan" by the young girl.

"Well, we could do it that way, but I've known Wendy longer than I've known you, Yu-chan, and I think she would respond to me training her the best. It doesn't bother you that I'm training her, does it?" he asked.

"N-no, of course not! I'm just concerned that..." she said, her voice trailing off. Squeezing her hand tighter, Natsu responded,

"Yu-chan, Wendy is like a little sister to me. I understand why you would feel the way you do, but please know that I wouldn't ruin what I have with you for anything in the world. Nothing is more precious to me than my wife." he said, flashing his famous smile down at her.

"Thank you, Natsu-sama, I was just being silly, thinking like that. I know how much you care for me, I feel the same way." she said with a small smile on her face.

"Let's do our best for the guild, alright?" he asked her.

"Aye!" she shouted in response.

**Authors Note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, if you did, please please PLEASE leave a review, fav or follow, it means a lot to me and keeps me going! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hello again everyone! Thanks to the people that left nice reviews, just another friendly reminder that if you do enjoy the story PLEASE leave a fav or a follow and a review, I get discouraged without feedback and it means a lot to me that people enjoy my work. I hope you enjoyed the addition of Natsu as the Master, it's a little headcanon that I always have that Natsu will be the Master after Makarov retires, and once he matures a little more. Just a note, while this still is a NaYu fic at heart, I will be focusing a lot of the chapters that follow on the fights in the actual GMG and interactions between other characters, so the focus of the story will not be entirely on their relationship for a while. I assure you guys that I have a tonne of great ideas in the works and this next arc will be very interesting to read and for me to write, so definitely follow if you're interested. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 6: Big Brother**

_"Oniiiii-chan!"_ Wendy called as she ran up to Natsu, who was waiting for her at the edge of the forest to begin their morning training.

"Hey, Wendy! Sleep well?" he asked.

"Aye! So, what are we doing today, Onii-chan?" she asked her friend, eager to start.

"I'll tell you on the way there, come on." he said, beckoning for her to follow him down the forest trail. As they walked, Natsu spoke up and asked,

"Hey, Wendy?"

"Yes?" she responded.

"Not that it bothers me or anything, but why did you start calling me 'Onii-chan?'" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh...well, I always thought of you as an older brother, but I didn't want to embarrass you by calling you 'Onii-chan'. After you and Yukino-san got married, I figured I should be more open about my feelings for you. If it makes you uncomfortable, then..." she began, but Natsu cut her off.

"Wendy, it doesn't make me feel uncomfortable in the slightest. I love you in a way a brother loves his sister, and it only makes me happy to be called 'Onii-chan.'" he said, ruffling her hair affectionately.

The young girl's face lit up in a wide smile, as she asked,

"Really? Do you mean it?!"

"Sure I do...Nee-chan." he said, a little odd sounding to him but it had a nice sound to it.

_"Onii-chan..."_ she said, getting teary eyed and hugging Natsu, "I love you too. I promise to make you and the guild proud."

"You've already done both, Wendy, and I promise to make you even stronger. I'll be teaching you a lot about fighting, and some moves that I haven't even mastered. I want you to be able to fight with me and Yu-chan as equals, alright?" he said.

"I don't think I'll ever be that strong." she said, doubtful of herself.

"Nonsense, you have potential greater than I or Yu-chan, you just need to unlock that power. Your problem is that you lack confidence, Wendy. Yukino once had the exact same problem, look at her now, she's crazy powerful, I can't even beat her." he said enthusiastically.

"It's not like she can beat you either, Onii-chan, you two always tie whenever you fight." she said.

"You know what I mean, Wendy. Don't berate yourself, I hate it when you do that." he said, looking down at her as they walked.

"I'll try not to, but it's hard to be as confident as you or Yukino-san." she said with a sigh.

"That's what we're going to work on, Wendy. First order of business..." he began, the two mages finally reaching the clearing where Wendy figured they would be training.

"We're going to spar. I will not go all out, for your sake, but I want you to come at me with everything you have." he said, putting some distance between them and turning around.

"B-b-but that's not fair! Onii-chan is too strong!" she pouted, her arms crossed.

"This is the first step to becoming confident, Wendy!" he shouted, "Knowing when to retreat is important, but I'm sure you've learned by now that with enough determination, you can beat anyone as long as your heart is in it. If you can't do at least this, we won't get anywhere." he said.

"Hmph...fine. I'll do my best for you!" she shouted, readying herself for the ensuing battle.

"Show me how strong you've become, Nee-chan!" Natsu shouted.

**Meanwhile, Yukino has taken the liberty of training Rin, the Water Dragon Slayer... **

"Wow, you have a lot of potential, Rin-san." she said, praising the young man's abilities.

"Thanks, Yukino-sama, but I'm nowhere near your or Master's level." he replied, panting, having just sparred with Yukino.

"It's sort of counterproductive to compare yourself to Natsu-sama, he's on his own level, really." she said.

"It doesn't change the fact that you're both crazy strong. I wonder how he does it." Rin said, imagining Natsu taking on hundreds of mages at once, the guy really was insane.

"If he has a secret, he doesn't tell anybody. I've only been a Dragon Slayer myself for about a year." she replied.

"What!? How is that even possible, all of the dragons are gone! Unless you're Second Generation, then?" he asked in disbelief.

"Nope," she said with a smile, "when Natsu-sama took me as his mate, he shared his Fire Dragon Slaying magic with me. I used to be a Celestial Spirit mage." she said.

"I didn't know such a thing was possible." he replied honestly.

"Neither did I. I love it though, I've never felt closer to my husband then after I became a Dragon Slayer like him. How did you learn your magic, Rin-san?" she asked.

"The water dragon, Aquaria. He raised me when I was a kid, and then I was taken in by a couple when they found me alone after he had disappeared. The couple died soon afterward, murdered by the Dark Guild that lived nearby. I've been on my own in the forest ever since." he said, his ears drooping much like Natsu when he got sad.

Putting her hand on his shoulder, she said,

"I'm sorry, Rin-san. I lost my parents and sister, Sorano, when I was just a child. I know how it feels to lose those close to you."

"Thanks, Yukino-sama. So, I don't mean to pry, but how did Master learn his magic?" he asked, curious at Natsu's humble beginnings.

"Well, from what he's told me, he was raised by the king of the fire dragons, Igneel. His dragon disappeared on the same day as yours did, as well as all of the other dragons in the world." she said.

"Wow, he was raised by Igneel!?" Rin asked excitedly.

"You know him?" Yukino asked.

"Even Aquaria spoke highly of him, so yes, I've heard great things about him. I should've guessed he was the one who taught Master his magic." Rin said.

"Natsu-sama always spoke very highly of his father, I wish I could've had the opportunity to meet him." Yukino said sadly.

"Hey, don't worry Yukino-sama, I have faith that all the dragons will return one day! Then, I'm sure you'll be able to meet him, Master too!" Rin said happily.

"I suppose you're right, Rin-san. Are you ready to continue with training?" she asked him.

"Of course! Come at me!" he said, readying himself.

**Back to Wendy and Natsu... **

_Sky Dragon's Laser! _

she shouted, emitting a blinding white laser (similar to Sting's _White Dragon's Roar) _from her mouth as Natsu jumped into the air, shouting,

_Fire Dragon's Roar! _

sending a large wave of fire at Wendy. Using her magic, she launched herself at the fire, cutting it apart with her wind and flying at Natsu, who was still in the air as the two began to trade blows. While Wendy wasn't the most physically strong, she used her magic to coat her fists in gales of wind, cutting Natsu's arms which he used to block her attacks. Noticing the damage to his arms, he cloaked the part of his body being cut in his scales, effectively nullifying her attack. Taken off guard by his strategic use of the ability to instantly use his Primal Dragon Force, or rather to use it on parts of his body, she pushed the two apart and landed on the ground, as did Natsu.

_Sky Dragon's..._

_Fire Dragon's..._

_Brilliant Gale!_

_Brilliant Flame! _

they shouted in unison, their magic colliding and exploding, knocking the two back as Wendy used her magic to soften the impact against the tree that she hit. Natsu, who thought wisely to use the smoke to his advantage, appeared behind her with lightning speed, shouting,

_Fire Dragon's Crushing Talon! _

bring his foot down on her back and pummelling her into the hard earth. Jumping back to let her recover, Natsu called out to her, saying,

"Always be aware of your surroundings, Wendy! You can't let people sneak up on you!"

"Jeez, I know Onii-chan!" she responded, blowing away all of the remaining smoke with her magic. She could feel herself being worn down as the battle progressed, while it looked like Natsu hadn't even broken a sweat. _Maybe it's a little bold, but I've been meaning to try something like this, _she thought as she took a stance and closed her eyes. Natsu, who was confused, looked at her with an interested expression, but stood there and waited to see what she would do next.

_If Onii-chan can do it, so can I! _she thought to herself as she opened her mouth wide, sucking in large quantities of air, trying to will herself to do the impossible. Feeling the natural magic in the air entering her body, she could sense a power awakening in her that hadn't been used before. She could feel patches of her skin changing into a rough, scaly material, and small feathers forming around her face. Tiny little horns appeared above both of her temples, tiny claws and talons now growing on her hands and feet.

_Primal Dragon Force!...sort of! _

she shouted. Natsu smiled widely at her half-transformation, while her scales didn't fully coat her body, she looked significantly different, her face covered in a feathery pattern and scales appearing in patches along her arms and legs.

"Wow, great job, Wendy! That's what I like to see!" he shouted. Not replying to him, he felt himself getting knocked off his feet by a strong wind and being cut up in numerous parts of his body as he hit the ground with a _thud. _

"Always be aware of your surroundings, right, Onii-chan!?" she shouted, teasing him.

"Tch, don't you know better than to pick a fight with your Master?" he shouted back, a little angrier that she attacked him right after his compliment.

Now taking her more seriously, he instantly transformed into his own Primal Dragon Force, a passionate blaze burning in his eyes. Wendy, who noticed he was now fighting seriously, gulped, and readied herself for the ensuing attack. Natsu, who clapped his hands above his head, caused the forest to go dark, but not from the lack of sunlight. Storm clouds appeared above the clearing, thunder rumbling in the distance. Natsu, whose eyes were closed, began to change colour, his scales fluctuating from red to golden-yellow, and held up one hand as it was struck by a bolt of lightning, causing his scales to fluctuate with the energy, and his body was now a golden-yellow to match the colour of the lightning that had just struck him. Bringing his palms together and behind his back, he released the energy, shouting,

_Primal Lightning Dragon's Retribution! _

and launching the bright ray of yellow electricity straight at her, giving her almost no time to react. Had she not had increased reflexes from her Primal Dragon Force, she might as well have been a pile of ash on the grass after being hit by that attack. After the smoke had cleared, Natsu, who was worried he might have accidentally incinerated Wendy, sighed a sigh of relief that she was alive and unharmed. Natsu, who had used a great deal of his energy with that attack, fell to one knee as he propped himself up with his arm. _Probably shouldn't try to use Primal Dragon Force outside of my own element, that used way too much magic in such a short period. _he thought to himself.

"You win Onii-chan..." Wendy said, lying on the grass in a daze and still feeling the effects from his last attack. Laughing at her antics, he walked, or rather stumbled over to her location and held out a hand for her to take. Picking her up off the ground, he slapped her on the back, saying in a cheery tone,

"Damn, Wendy, that was awesome! You almost had me there!"

"You might as well have taken yourself out, Onii-chan, look at you! Don't do such dangerous things in a real battle, dummy!" she said, smacking him upside the head.

"Ouch, don't be so cruel, Wendy." he said in mock sadness.

"If you were expecting me to beat you any time soon, Onii-chan, don't even bother continuing to train me. I did my best, that's all I had up my sleeve." she said, eyeing the ground, embarrassed that she couldn't beat him, even if he was going all out.

"Wendy, I never expected you to beat me in the first place. In fact, you actually exceeded my expectations just now." he said, praising the young bluenette.

"Wait, what?" she asked, confused by what he meant.

"I hate to brag but I even know that there's a difference in our powers, it would have been like expecting me to defeat Gildarts back at Tenroujima. I learned a valuable lesson that day, which I also wanted to teach you today. Even in the face of adversity and a much stronger opponent, always do your very best until you're forced to retreat. It's better to live to fight another day than to die from getting a big head, it took me a long time to learn that. You demonstrated incredible confidence, not only in standing up to me, but to take a chance and believe in your own power. Look what happened there, Wendy: you almost activated Primal Dragon Force! That's incredible for a first time! I'm proud of you." he said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Really, you're proud of me, Onii-chan!?" she asked in disbelief.

"Of course I am, Wendy. Now that you've sparred with me and I've gotten a good feel for your power, we can begin some real training." he said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Well, there's always the option of the two of us just sparring for weeks straight and doing nothing else, but I have a feeling that it might get boring for you. Instead, I'm going to teach you how to master two elements, and combine them to create new and stronger attacks." he said.

"Sounds hard, can you show me first? I don't wanna get myself killed because I tried to look good in front of my guildmate, like you just did." she said, teasing him.

"That was an...uh, experiment. Don't do what I did in a real fight, for obvious reasons. What I will teach you, however, is to use Fire Dragon Slaying magic to the best of my ability." he replied.

"No way, Onii-chan, I can be a Fire Dragon Slayer like you?!" she shouted, bouncing up and down.

"Well, not exactly. You'll always be a Sky Dragon Slayer at heart, but as Dragon Slayers, we can use all different kinds of Dragon Slaying magic. The problem is that you don't need to be exclusive to one element to overspecialise, and you don't want to know every element because it spreads your power far too thin. The ideal number of elements is two or three, I can use three." he said.

"What's your last element, Onii-chan? I've only seen Fire and Lightning." she asked.

"It's sort of...still in development, you could say. I developed it for a specific purpose...for slaying Acnologia. Chaos Dragon Slaying magic." he said.

"Wow, that sounds really cool, Onii-chan. Can I see it, please, please please?" she begged.

"Ugh...fine. Step back, I still haven't really tested the extremes of it's power." he said, putting a hand out in front of her and walking forward. He took a stance, and much like how he would absorb fire or lightning, he absorbed some element that Wendy couldn't see with her own two eyes, and released it from his mouth, shouting,

_Chaos Dragon's Venegance! _

releasing a bloody red and black ray of energy from his mouth, cutting through trees throughout the entire forest and leaving a gigantic smoke cloud in it's wake. When the smoke cleared, she could see the mountain off in the distance beginning to crack, a gigantic crater in the forest where all of the trees in a long line used to be. The power wasn't what scared her, though, when he did the initial attack she felt cold and dark, like the happiness was being sucked out of her and being replaced with a cold, clammy feeling. She also heard what sounded like thousands of screams of anguish erupt from the area where Natsu was standing, a wispy black aura now surrounding his body as he said nothing and just stood there. Hearing a low and maniacal chuckle coming from where Natsu was standing, she slowly got up and asked nervously,

"O-Onii-chan?"

He stopped laughing, and half turned around to look at Wendy, who was quivering in fear on the ground. What she saw made her want to scream, but no sound escaped her mouth. In the place of one of Natsu's normal onyx coloured eyes was a simple black pool with a red dot in the centre. He wore a maniacal grin, and she also saw one of his horns coming from it's usual spot, but it was broken and jagged. Turning completely around now, she saw his now pointy and sharp rows or teeth, and his forked tongue as he stood and laughed at nothing in particular. Speaking up now, his voice sounded like nails on a chalkboard, like Natsu's normal voice and that of a demon were speaking in unison,

"What's the matter, Wendy? Cat got your tongue?" he asked, laughing insanely at his own joke.

"O-Onii-chan, what's wrong with you?" she asked, on the verge of tears at seeing her Master in such a dark state.

"You see, Wendy, _this _kind of power doesn't come from a mere element, it draws energy from the despair and sadness of others! Isn't it...delightful?" he asked.

"Y-you better return to normal this instant, Onii-chan! Or else!" she said, clenching her fist.

"Or else...what, Wendy?" he asked, licking his lips, "Would you really kill your beloved Onii-chan?"

"No, but...I'll get you back somehow!" she said, running forward and wrapping her arms around him, "I won't let my Onii-chan turn into a monster!"

His first instinct was to attack the girl that had latched onto him, but before he could lay a hand on her, memories of the two began to flash through his mind. Saving her from Oracion Seis, Christmas at the guild, comforting and consoling her. No matter how dark his thoughts were in that moment, he couldn't lay a finger on the young girl that held him so tightly in her little arms.

"W-Wendy?" Natsu said, his voice returning to normal for a moment.

"Do what you want to me, but don't hurt my Onii-chan, you monster!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face as she held onto her Master for dear life.

The feeling of despair Wendy felt began to recede, and in it's place, the normal warmth she felt when near Natsu returned. The dark and wispy aura around him had vanished, and his broken horns had disappeared, and his eye had returned to it's normal onyx colour. He raised his arm and put one hand behind her head as she cried into his shirt, cooing into her ear with his normal voice,

"It's okay, Wendy. I'm here, just me."

"Onii-chan, don't ever use that scary magic again!" she shouted, pounding her tiny fists into his chest. "You weren't yourself, it was like you were possessed!"

"Aye, I'm sorry for making you worry, Wendy. I won't use that magic again." he said reassuringly.

"Promise?" she asked, looking up at him.

Pausing for a second, he considered her last words. _Can I really promise to never use that again? Even if Acnologia showed up? _he thought. _I don't need to rely on that magic in that case, I have the power of my friends, and my family. _

"I promise." he said, "I don't need Chaos Dragon Slaying magic if I have all of my nakama to help me. Sorry if I scared you, Wendy."

"It's OK, Onii-chan. If the time comes where you feel you need to use that magic, remember that all of Fairy Tail is right beside you." she said.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, how about we go see how Yu-chan and Rin are doing with their training?" he asked.

"Sounds good to me. Where are they training, by the way?" she asked him.

"Out by a beach, not too far from where we are. Only about fifty miles." he said nonchalantly.

"Uh...that's pretty far, Onii-chan." she said with a nervous laugh.

"Not with my magic it is. Here, take my hand, Wendy." he said, extending his arm to her.

"Aye!" she said, taking his hand and holding on tight. As he had done with Yukino many times, he shouted,

_Primordious Metreo! _

disappearing in a flash of red light, scattering a few leaves in the breeze.

**Yukino's POV **

Yukino stood facing Rin, her bare feet dug into the warm sand of the beach, the smell of the ocean breeze apparent in the air and a gentle wind hitting her back, making her hair blow out to the side. While she wasn't very afraid of the young man, she had to admit that this was his turf, really, with the ocean right at his fingertips. Still, Yukino never backed down from a fight, at least not after meeting Natsu, and she steeled her resolve as the two mages eyed eachother for a moment, wordlessly communicating that they were both eager to fight but giving each other a moment to compose themselves. To her surprise, Rin was actually the one to make the first move, leaping ahead and summoning water around both of his fists as he charged at her. Using his magic to mould the water, he shouted,

_Water Dragon's Cutlass! _

forming the water into a curved sword, and hacking at her with impressive agility, as she nimbly dodged his strikes. _He's quite fast, actually, _she thought to herself as she surveyed his slashes. Summoning electricity in her hand, courtesy of her ability to use Fire and Lightning like Natsu, she reached out and grabbed his sword, which shocked Rin considerably as he dropped his sword and fell back to put distance between the two. Determined to retaliate, he drew water from the nearby ocean, and shouted,

_Water Dragon's Trident! _

throwing the naval weapon at Yukino as she effortlessly sidestepped the trident and leapt at Rin with incredible speed, flipping in the air and bringing down her foot onto his head, knocking him down into the sand. From point blank range, Yukino's cheeks inflated as she shouted,

_Fire Dragon's Roar! _

hitting him directly as he lay disoriented on the sand, leaving a large white cloud of smoke as Yukino stepped back to see if she had finished him off. To her surprise, he looked no worse for the wear, and she figured he had coated his body in water to protect him from the attack, meaning that what she thought was smoke was actually steam from the water and fire colliding.

"Oh, excellent use of your water, Rin-san!" she said to the young man with praise.

"It's not over yet, Yukino-sama!" he shouted back as he got to his feet and inflated his own cheeks, shouting,

_Geyser of the Water Dragon! _

firing a stream of water at a high velocity at her, which hit her with high pressure as she blocked his attack, shielding her face with her arms. Continuing to douse her, he moved forward as he fired his stream of water, attempting to close the distance between the two. What he didn't expect, however, was to see her flying towards him, using her _Sword Horn of the Fire Dragon _to cut through his attack and hitting him directly in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and putting him on his knees. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't draw breath, and instead gagged on the ground, propping himself up with his hands.

"That's enough, Rin-san." Yukino said.

He wanted to protest, to tell her that he could keep going, but even he knew that there was absolutely no way he would ever win against her. _She's just as insane as Master, _he thought to himself. Feeling bad that she knocked the wind out of him, she summoned a little wind in her hand and blew it towards him, much as one would blow someone a kiss. The wind flew into his mouth and refilled his lungs with oxygen, causing him to choke a little but he felt instantly better.

"Th-thank you, how did you do that?" he asked between coughs.

"Unlike Natsu-sama, I can use Fire, Lightning and Wind Dragon Slaying magic. I just gave you a little bit of air to fill your lungs, that's all." she said, smiling at him.

"Wow, Rin, I'm impressed!" Natsu called out, emerging from the forest with Wendy following close behind him. "You really gave Yu-chan a run for her money!"

"Jeez, Master, I hardly made her break a sweat, let alone keep her on the ropes." Rin said modestly.

"You did really well, Rin-san!" Wendy said from behind Natsu, trying to life his morale.

"Oh...thanks...Wendy, right?" he asked, to which she replied by nodding and smiling at him.

"Natsu-sama!" Yukino shouted, running over to him and embracing him as he picked her up and spun her around as she laughed hysterically. Giving her a big kiss, he set her down and said,

"You were great too, as always, Yu-chan."

"Thank you, Natsu-sama. Are you two already finished with your training?" she asked her husband.

"Eh, not really. We just took a break to see how you two were coming along. Wendy already kicked my ass, I was hoping to see Rin do the same, no offence Yu-chan." he said.

"Onii-chan! Don't lie about our fight, I definitely did _not _beat you." Wendy said, pouting.

"Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little bit, but Wendy is showing great progress, she almost went completely into Primal Dragon Force on her first try!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Wow, Wendy-san, that's really good! You learn a lot faster than Natsu-sama ever did." she said teasingly, elbowing Natsu and laughing a bit.

"Thank you, Yukino-san, but it was only a half transformation..." she said, eyeing the ground in embarrassment.

"That's a lot better than no transformation if you ask me. Rin, have you ever tried to enter Primal Dragon Force?" Yukino asked, looking over at Rin, who was probably feeling left out of the conversation.

"Uh...I mean, not really. It always seemed way out of my league, but if Wendy-san can do it, I figure I can too, then." he said.

"That's the spirit, Rin. Come on, if everyone's done, let's go back to the guild for lunch." Natsu said.

"You take Wendy-san, I'll take Rin-san." she told Natsu.

"Aye!" Natsu replied, taking Wendy's hand suddenly and muttering something Rin didn't catch and disappearing in a flash of red light, catching Rin off guard and causing him to fall to the ground.

"Wh-what was that!?" he blurted out.

"Oh, it's just something Natsu-sama and I can do, it's a faster method of transportation than walking. Come on then, Rin-san, they're waiting for us." she said, kindly extending her hand to him, as he looked at her from the ground. Smiling, he took it, and he heard Yukino chant something he couldn't understand, and he was met with a very uncomfortable squeezing sensation, like he was being sucked into a tube much too small for his body. Just as quickly as he had seen the same flash of red light as he saw previously with Natsu and Wendy, he reappeared out in front of the guild hall, still holding Yukino's hand.

"Wow, that's incredible!" he exclaimed, causing Yukino to laugh. "You and Master really are amazing, Yukino-sama."

"Well, thank you very much, Rin-san. Now, let's go get something to eat." she said, pushing open the guild doors and leading him inside. Sitting down at a table with Wendy who seemed to have been separated from Natsu, they ordered something to eat and made small talk as they looked around the guild to see what everyone was up to. It didn't seem too out of the ordinary, but they did see Natsu sitting at a table with Lisanna, Levy and Gajeel, who seemed to be intently discussing something. Natsu's mind wasn't easy to read anymore, and she couldn't magically know whatever was on his mind, like she used to sort of be able to do. While it really didn't bother her any longer that Natsu talked to other women, she was a bit more fearful of Lisanna. In the past year, Lisanna had changed her appearance greatly, as she now had longer and beautiful white hair like her sister, making her look an awful lot like Yukino, the only difference being their faces, her very attention-grabbing mating mark on her neck and arm and that Yukino now wore a red rose on the side of her head. She wondered if Natsu ever imagined her as Lisanna, and vice-versa. As often as he told her that she was his mate and his only love, she couldn't help but doubt that sometimes with all of the other beautiful women in the guild.

_"Don't think such thoughts, Yu-chan. I don't tell you all of that for no reason." _Natsu said in the back of her mind. Apparently, Natsu was a lot better at reading her than she was at reading him, and she often "thought out loud" when she was troubled.

_"I'm sorry, Natsu-sama, I try not to. It's kind of instinctual." _she replied.

_"Believe me, not a day goes by where I wish you would never look at another man again, but I have faith in you that you see in me what I see in you. I wish you could trust me the same, Yu-chan." _he said with a sad tone.

She tried to tell him that she did trust him, but he was clearly tuning her out as he continued his conversation with those at his table. Sighing to herself, she continued to pick at her food idly as she listened to Wendy and Rin talk about something she didn't care about.

"Yukino-sama, are you feeling alright?" Rin asked her, "You've barely touched your food."

"Oh...well, it's nothing Rin-san. Please don't worry about it. It's between me and my husband." she replied, looking off in Natsu's direction.

"Yukino-san, does it have anything to do with Onii-chan and Lisanna-san? I can smell your anxiety." Wendy said, trying her hardest not to make the last part sound creepy or intrusive.

"Well...I mean, kind of.." Yukino replied, trying not to end up having a conversation about love with a thirteen and give or take sixteen year old about love.

"If you think that Onii-chan doesn't love you, then you're dead wrong, Yukino-san. Him and Lisanna-san are just friends, for all we know he's probably just training her for the GMG." Wendy said.

"If you think that Onii-chan doesn't love you, then you're dead wrong, Yukino-san. Him and Lisanna-san are just friends, for all we know he's probably just training her for the GMG." Wendy said.

"Wouldn't it be better for Mira-san or Elfman-san to train Lisanna-san?" Yukino asked her.

"Maybe there's something only he can teach her, Yukino-sama." Rin said.

"Well, anything he can teach her, so can I..." she said, her voice trailing off.

"If it makes you feel any better, it's not like he can mate with Lisanna-san anyways. The mating magic for Dragon Slayers only has a single use, after that it doesn't work again. Not that it's my business, but maybe you should be thankful that he chose you instead of her or any other woman for that matter." Rin replied.

"Besides, Lisanna-san knows that you two are married, I seriously doubt she would try to come between you two." Wendy said.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Yukino said with a sigh.

Walking over to their table, Natsu took a seat next to Yukino as he greeted the group. Averting her eyes, she looked down at her mostly full plate of food and said nothing.

"Is something the matter, Yu-chan?" Natsu asked her.

"Oh, it's nothing. So, what were you talking about over there?" she said, pointing a finger at his previous table.

"Oh, Lisanna asked me if I would help her train, and I told Gajeel that he would be responsible for Levy's training, not that he objected or anything. I have a feeling we're gonna win this year!" he said, clenching his fist and flashing his smile at them.

"Aye!" the group shouted in unison.

Two weeks later - All members of Team Fairy Tail have been training their very hardest the past two weeks in preparation for the Grand Magic Games. Wendy and Rin have come a long way, as the results of Levy and Lisanna still remain a secret. Will the team of greenhorns take home First Place in this year's GMG?

Yukino awoke with a start, feeling very queasy and uncomfortable. She got out of bed and ran to the bathroom, shutting the door and holding her face over the toilet in case she got sick. This was the second day she had woken up with morning sickness this week, and it was starting to worry her. Hearing a knock on the bathroom door, she heard Natsu ask her,

"Yu-chan, are you alright?"

"Y-yes, Natsu-sama, I'll be fine." she responded.

"I'm taking you to Wendy today, this is the second time this has happened this week." he said.

"But-" she began, but he wasn't having it.

"Absolutely no buts Yu-chan, I won't be able to sleep until I know that you're healthy and comfortable." he said, leaving no room for arguement.

"Well, OK then. Let's just go now, if you don't mind, Natsu-sama." she said, opening the door.

"Of course not. Come on, let's walk there." he said, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her out of their small house, saying goodbye to a sleeping Happy on their way out. Descending the steep hill their house was located on, they walked through the forest on their way to Fairy Hills to awaken Wendy. Although she still felt nauseous, the sound of birds chirping and the natural scent of nature helped ease her, if only a little. She allowed herself to nod off in his arms, awakening in what seemed like moments to her as they stood in front of Fairy Hills. Setting her down for a moment, he knocked on the door and waiting a minute until Erza answered, saying,

"Who the hell do you think you are, knocking at this time- MASTER! Forgive me, I didn't know it was you." she said, bowing in apology.

"It's really no problem, Erza. Can you please get Wendy for me, Yu-chan isn't feeling well." he said.

"At once, please wait there." she said, closing the door and ascending the stairs to get Wendy. Even though he appreciated it, he found it funny how much Erza respected him now that he was Master. Had he pulled something like this a year ago, he would've been knocked upside the head and told to go jump in a hole. Returning to the door, Erza opened it and led them inside, where Wendy was waiting for them, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"What do you need, Onii-chaaaaaan..." she asked, yawning mid-sentence.

"I'm sorry to bother you this early, Wendy, but Yu-chan isn't feeling well, can you please look at her?" he asked.

"Of course, please come lay down, Yukino-san." Wendy said, gesturing for her to lay down on the couch in the living room.

"Thank you Erza, you can go back to bed if you want to." Natsu said, looking over at Erza, who sat on the stairs.

"Thank you, Master, I will." she said, ascending the stairs and returning to her room.

Natsu, now walking over to the two girls, looked down at them as Wendy held her hands over Yukino's body to determine what was wrong. Wendy, who was frowning, said,

"Well, you definitely aren't injured, and definitely don't have a disease or illness that I know of. Let me listen to your heartbeat." she said, leaning down and pressing her ear against Yukino's chest. She gasped, jerking her head back and putting both her hands over her mouth.

"W-Wendy, what's wrong!?" Natsu exclaimed, half screaming at her horrified reaction.

"O-Onii-chan, can you come with me please?" she said to Natsu, who nodded and followed her into the other room. A minute passed, and Yukino was getting worried herself. _What were they talking about?! Do I have some sort of incurable disease?!_

As if to answer her questions, they returned at that moment, Wendy with a nervous look on her face and Natsu wearing an almost invisible smirk.

"What's going on?" Yukino asked the two.

"Well, I'm not really sure how to tell you this, Yukino-san..." Wendy began, but didn't get a chance to finish.

"You're pregnant." Natsu said bluntly, now visibly smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hello again everyone! Wow, I'm very pleased how well received my story has been so far, at the time of writing this it has almost 40 favs and over 40 follows! Thank you guys so much, I really enjoy writing this story and I can't thank you all enough for reading it. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7: The Second GMG: Day 1**

_"Pr-Pregnant!?"_ she shouted in disbelief.

Wendy nodded, and said,

"Yes, Yukino-san."

"...Wow. I-I don't..." she began, her voice trailing off as she tried to find words to express her feelings.

"This is amazing, Yu-chan! I've always wanted a son or daughter. I'm so happy..._aren't you too?"_ he said.

"It's just so...unexpected. What about the Grand Magic Games, Natsu-sama, I'm on Team Fairy Tail!" she exclaimed.

"Well, there's no way in hell you're competing now. I would never put my future child at risk just so we have a better chance of winning. I'll find someone to fill in for you, don't worry." Natsu replied.

"Well...alright then. I just don't want to cause anybody any sudden responsibility of having to compete." she said, eyeing the ground and putting a hand on her stomach.

"Yu-chan, nobody would be mad at you for having to sit this one out. They would understand, trust me." Natsu said, reassuring her by putting a hand on her cheek and sitting down next to her.

"Well, if you say so." she said doubtfully.

"Wendy," he began, looking over at the young girl, "wake up Erza and tell her to summon all available members of the guild immediately, we have an important announcement." he commanded.

"Yes, Onii-chan!" Wendy replied, running up the stairs to summon Erza.

"Yu-chan, we're going to the guild hall. Can you walk on your own?" he asked.

"Yes, I believe so." she said, getting to her feet and taking her husband's hand and followed him out the door as they walked down the road that led to the guild hall. As shocked as she was, she couldn't hide her excitement for finding out she was pregnant. She had always dreamed of being a mother, but she always figured Natsu wasn't ready for kids or that he wanted to wait a few years.

The thought that he was ecstatic about having kids made her feel very happy that he wanted her to mother his children. This was one of the few situations where she figured Natsu was too excited to think to himself, and she saw flashing images from his mind of what he predicted their children to look like, which made her giggle.

Arriving at the guild hall, they entered through the front doors, and were met by a large majority of the guild, most of whom were not even dressed and still yawned loudly. Leading her up to the stage, he took the mic in his hand and began speaking,

"Fairy Tail!" he said sternly, where he was met with a chorus of groans and yawns instead of his name.

"I'm sorry to call you all here so early, but the GMG begins tomorrow and I have an important announcement! First of all, I learned this morning that my wife, Yukino, is pregnant!" he shouted, which was met by a roar of applause and congratulations from the crowd who was half-asleep moments ago. Natsu, now grinning widely himself, held up his clenched fist to signal for the crowd to be silent.

"As wonderful as this news is, this also means that she will not be able to participate in the GMG. I called you all here today to determine who will be the fifth member of Team Fairy Tail." he said.

To his surprise, not a single person volunteered.

"Well, we need five members, everyone. If nobody wants to volunteer, I'll pick someone." he said.

As he was about to select a member, Jet came running into the guild, cutting through the sea of members and running up to the foot of the stage. Stopping to catch his breath, he choked out,

"Master!...Council...needs to talk...to you." he said, "Lahar is outside."

"Thank you, Jet. Everyone, I'll be back in a minute, and then I'll choose who's going to be Yukino's replacement, unless someone decides to volunteer." he said, dropping off the stage and parting the sea of guild members on his way to the guild. Pushing the guild doors open, he stepped outside, only to be met by Lahar, a member of the Magic Council, and Cobra of Oracion Seis in handcuffs.

"Hello, Lahar. Is there a problem?" Natsu asked calmly.

"Not at all, Natsu. I actually have what might be good news for the both of us. The Council has finally reviewed your pending appeal for Cobra's release from prison as well as your unique proposal of inducting him into your guild, and it has been deemed a better option than letting him collect dust in prison. So, if your offer still stands, I have brought him here to you so he can join Fairy Tail, where you can keep an eye on him." Lahar replied.

"Oh, that's interesting, I had figured the council was never going to get around to look at my request. Well, the offer still stands, but I'd like Erik's permission before I induct him into my guild." he said, using Cobra's real name.

"Tch, as if I'd want to join your guild." Erik said, averting his eye.

"Is a dark and dingy prison cell that much more desirable, Erik? I promise that if you don't like it, you can go right back to that dirty cell, if you so please." Natsu said with a smirk.

Erik seemed to think to himself for a moment, then signed and said,

"Fine. I'll join your guild, but don't think I'm doing it because I want to!" Erik shot back.

"_Of cooooourse not._ You won't regret it, Erik, and I'm sure Kinana will be pleased." he said, and he noticed his pointy ears perk up at the sound of her name.

"She's here?" he asked, "this is her guild?"

"Aye, you should have seen how many times she came to me, begging me to work harder and harder to get you released from prison. Be thankful that you have at least one person that cares for you that much, after all you've done." Natsu said.

"I...S-she didn't have to do all that." Erik said with a gloomy tone.

"Of course she didn't, but she _WANTED_ to, Erik. Are you really going back to prison, even after learning all of this?" Natsu asked.

"Well...I guess I can't go back when she tried so hard to get me out. I think I owe her that much." Erik replied.

"Great, welcome to Fairy Tail, Erik. Lahar," he said, turning to face the Council member, "I'll take him from here. Please thank the Council for accepting my proposal, I'll see to it that he behaves himself."

"Oh, the pleasure is mine, Natsu. Thank you for taking him off of our hands, I'm sure he'll be of more use to you. Good day." he said, turning and leaving down the road to return to the Council building.

Now that the two Dragon Slayers were left by themselves, Natsu turned to look at him and said,

"Glad to have you here, Erik, I think you'll fit in just fine. Nobody at Fairy Tail will hold a grudge against you because of your past, I assure you."

"You've changed quite a bit since we last met, Natsu, what happened? You're like a completely different person." Erik asked him.

"Well, I'm sure you already knew, but now I'm the guild master, I got married, I'm having a kid soon...so yeah, quite a bit has changed." Natsu said, smiling at him.

"Wow, congratulations. You never struck me as somebody so responsible." he replied.

"Neither did I, it kinda just happened overnight. Anyways, let's go inside, I have to introduce my new friend to everyone else!" he said, pushing open the guild doors and gesturing him inside.

_Friend? He thinks of me as a friend, after everything I've done?_ Erik thought to himself. _Friend... Friend... it sounds so welcoming, I can't remember the last time someone called me their friend._

"Everyone!" Natsu called from the entrance, causing everyone to turn to face him and take up arms when they saw him being followed by a member of Oracion Seis.

"Natsu, do you even remember who that is? He's a bad guy, he poisoned Erza and captured Lucy to use a sacrifice! You can't-" Gray shouted, but he was interrupted by Natsu who held up his fist to silence him.

"Gray. I know very well all that he has done in the past. I appreciate your concern for the guild's safety, but as the Master, I have the final decision, and I believe that he is not a bad person. I will personally take account for his actions if he does anything to hurt any of you, and I feel like he can be nurtured into the kind man that he is underneath his rough surface. Kinana," he called out to the crowd, and the short purple-haired bartender stepped out from the crowd and approached the two, "you tried the hardest to free Erik when he needed you, and look at him now: he's a free man. Erik, you are in her debt. I leave the choice up to her as to whether you should join Fairy Tail or not." Natsu said, stepping back and giving the two of them some space.

"Erik..." she began, tearing up as she ran forward and wrapped her arms around him, "I'm so glad that you're finally free. I waited so long for you, and it seems my prayers have been answered."

He wasn't sure what to do or say, but he just silently returned her embrace, going a bit red in the face but smiling as well.

"Don't cry, Kinana. I'll feel even worse that I hurt you by sitting in prison, unable to speak to you." he whispered into her ear.

"Erik, please don't go back. It's my decision, right Master?" she said, looking at Natsu who smiled and nodded.

"Then you're going to join Fairy Tail, and you're going to be a good man from here on out, understand?" she said between tears.

"Whatever you say, goes." he replied, ruffling her hair.

"Well, that's settles it! Erik, welcome to Fairy Tail!" Natsu shouted, the audience applauding and cheering.

"Why are they cheering for me? I'm practically a villain." Erik asked Kinana.

"Silly, you _were_ a villain. Besides, we don't hold grudges at Fairy Tail, everyone comes from a troubled past. It's our actions as members that change us for the better." she replied, giving him a warm smile.

"Erik, I'm sure you're aware that the GMG is tomorrow, right?" Natsu asked him.

"Yeah, I heard a guard talking about it a few days ago." he replied.

"Well, since my wife, Yukino, is pregnant, she won't be able to compete, and we need another strong member to fill her spot. Would you like to fight for us in the GMG?" Natsu asked him.

"Uh...I don't know, I just got here and all..." he began nervously, but the guild wasn't having it. A chant of "ERIK, ERIK, ERIK" began, and he soon caved and shouted,

"OK, fine, I'll do it, alright?"

More roars of applause and cheering, which bothered him to no end due to his sensitive hearing. Natsu, who wished to speak again, held up his clenched fist, which Erik thought must have been magical because the guild immediately stopped making noise and turned to face him.

"Everyone, our team has found it's last member. The last two weeks, every member of the team has been training extremely hard, and I couldn't be more proud of you all. Wendy, Lisanna, Levy, Rin and now Erik: I have faith in all of you that you will make the whole guild proud. Our thoughts are one, and our drive to win is unparalleled! Let's show everyone why Fairy Tail is the world's strongest guild once more!" he shouted, throwing up the Fairy Tail sign.

"AYE!" the crowd cheered.

**The next day: The guild has departed for Crocus, prepared to take on anything that the GMG or other guilds would throw at them. After arriving amongst all the other members of FT that weren't participating and seeing many of the guilds that participated last year, they set off to their inn where they would be staying and awaited instructions from the officials.**

"Thank you for sharing your lap between me and Yukino-san, Onii-chan. I wish you didn't have to suffer for my sake..." Wendy said sadly.

"D-don't worry ab-about it, W-W-Wendy, what are b-brothers for?" Natsu said, still feeling the effects of his motion sickness and slugging his way off of the train, supported by Wendy.

"Natsu-san?" the two heard a familiar voice call from across the train station. Turning their heads, they saw Sting flanked by the members of his guild, Sabertooth.

"Oh, h-hey St-Sting..." he choked out, his face green and still feeling extremely nauseous.

"Here, let me help you with that," he said, running over and taking Natsu under his arm. Out of nowhere, Sting let go of Natsu, letting him slide off his shoulder as he delivered a brutal kick to Natsu's stomach, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to fall to the ground, choking.

As quickly as he had hit the ground, Sting felt a strong gale of wind cut a large gash on his chest, leaving a searing sensation of pain and causing him to fall to one knee. Looking up, he saw the young girl who had been carrying Natsu coated completely in an armour of shining white scales, with long feathery wings under her arms and claws and talons on both her hands and feet. She too had curvy horns like Natsu, and wore a look of pure rage on her face, standing over her Master and baring her fangs at him.

"Try anything again and you won't live to see the first day of the Games!" she shrieked, her voice deeper than usual.

The rest of Fairy Tail had also exited the train and ran up to the group of mages, awed at Wendy's transformation but concerned for their Master's safety.

"Tch, your power is half-baked, girl. You think Primal Dragon Force is so rare? Rogue and I have mastered it ages ago." Sting said.

"Sting, let's just go..." Rogue began, but Sting cut him off.

"No, I need to teach Natsu-san a lesson about what it means to truly be strong. I heard you and Yukino got married, Natsu-san, _congratulations!_" he said sarcastically.

"Sting...why do you...hate me so much?" Natsu choked out from the ground.

"Because, you and everyone in your guild are so full of yourselves! Yukino was a member of MY guild, and you stole her away because you made a scene a year ago at the last GMG, making her think that you cared about her. This year, Saber is taking back our #1 spot, _not_ Fairy Tail! I'll admit, you aren't as fun to rough up as I thought. Maybe I'll pay Yukino a visi-" he said, stopping mid sentence as Natsu reappeared in front of him before he could even blink and held him by his throat in the air with one arm.

"Let me make something VERY fucking clear to you, Sting, something I already communicated to you a year ago but you seem to have forgotten. If you lay a FINGER on her or my child, I will cut your head off and mount it in my guild hall, and then I will do the same to each and every one of your members and I will burn your guild hall to the ground. Sabertooth will be nothing but a pile of rubble and a memory from long ago. That punishment goes for every one of my guildmates as well, should you get any ideas. _Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?_" he said, tightening his grip on his throat with each word.

Looking down into his eyes, Sting saw a murderous intent, and he saw the outcome of what would happen should he cross Natsu again: the mutilated bodies of him and his friends, mounted like trophies inside of Fairy Tail and the building of Sabertooth blazing in the background, up in flames. Those cold, dark eyes stared right into his soul, practically daring him to push his luck.

"Y-Yes..." he choked out, close to suffocating from lack of oxygen.

Dropping him to the ground, Sting gasped for oxygen as his guildmates helped him to his feet.

"**Get out of my sight before I change my mind!**" Natsu roared, scaring the life out of Saber and causing them to run away with their tails between their legs. All of Fairy Tail could feel the anger literally seething out of their Master, the tension in the air was so thick they could cut it with a knife. Yukino, who was helped out of the train by Erza and Lisanna, approached her husband, saying,

"Natsu-sama...please calm down, I'm not hurt."

Pulling her close to him, Natsu said,

"As long as we're here, do not leave my side, Yu-chan. I don't trust a single person in that guild, and I don't know what I would do if you got hurt."

"O-OK, I'll stay close to you." she said, holding him tightly.

"Wendy," he began, looking at the young girl that had protected him, "thank you, really. That took a lot of courage to stand up to their whole guild."

"It's no problem, Onii-chan, you would have done the same thing for me." she said, smiling up at him as her scales fell off of her body with a _clunk_.

"What is that guy's problem? Attacking someone that can't even fight back..." Gray said.

"It really is low." Lucy said, shaking her head.

"If he attacks you again, Master, we have to retaliate." Erza said, to which Natsu shook his head.

"No, there will be no retaliation against Saber. This is between Sting and I, it doesn't involve everyone else." Natsu said.

"We aren't just going to stand around and let our Master get beat up on!" Gajeel shouted.

"What I did in the last GMG was wrong, but I don't regret it, they deserved it at the time. I don't care what Sting does to me, I can take whatever he throws at me. Besides, I'm supposed to set an example for you all." Natsu said.

"Do you want a repeat of last year, Natsu?! Minerva beat Lucy senseless because we let Saber walk all over us! What if that happens to Wendy, or Lisanna, or anyone else on the team? We can't just take this lying down, you know that." Gray shot back.

"Gray, you just have to trust me. If Sting or Saber do anything out of line to our guild, there won't be a Sabertooth to retaliate against, I will see to that personally. Just focus on winning this thing, leave them to me." Natsu replied.

"What happened to 'our thoughts are one!', Natsu? All of us wont take things like that lying down, if you won't do anything, then we will!" Lucy exclaimed, followed by a chorus of "YEAH!".

"Fine then, if you guys insist, if Saber tries to pull anything during the Games, you all can retaliate accordingly. Come on everyone, let's go get settled in to our inn." he said, addressing his guild and gesturing for them to follow him down the crowded and bustling streets of Crocus. Crocus was a normally highly-populated city, but during the Grand Magic Games, people from all over Fiore came to watch the strongest wizards clash in competitions. The streets were lined with innumerable vendors, selling guild merchandise and taking bets on the first matches of the day. Natsu even saw about ten stands dedicated solely to Fairy Tail merchandise, which seemed to be flying off of the racks, much to his pleasure.

Turning around to see if his friends were still behind him, he saw Wendy getting shoved and pushed around by the crowd. He figured it must have been hard for the young girl to maneuver the crowded streets, being so small. Stopping and hunching over, he bent down and gestured for her to get on his shoulders, to which she happily agreed to and climbed onto his shoulders as he hoisted her up so she was now above the crowd.

"It sure is packed, eh Wendy?" he shouted over the noisy crowd.

"Aye! Thank you for carrying me, Onii-chan!" she shouted back.

"Don't mention it." he replied, continuing their trek through the city to reach their temporary living quarters. After walking for what felt for hours, the guild finally reached their inn, entering and getting settled down into their respective rooms. Once everybody had deposited their luggage in their rooms, the guild congregated in the bar area, using it as their temporary guild hall where they could brawl, drink and be generally raucous. Natsu had taken a seat at a large round table with Yukino, Wendy, Gray and Juvia, Erza, Rin, Gajeel and Levy and the Strauss siblings, and the group discussed what would be coming for the first day of the games.

"Do you think they'll have a huge event like the last Games where they sift out the weaker guilds?" Levy asked.

"I doubt it, I would assume that those that run the Games know who the strongest guilds are, and will just have some cliché free-for-all to decide the eight guilds participating." Erza responded nonchalantly.

"Well, that sounds a lot simpler to me." Rin said, crossing his arms, "I don't wanna have to go through some elaborate maze just to get a spot."

"If we go by the idea that all the guilds from last year will make it in, then there should be a new guild to replace the spot Raven Tail held, right?" Lisanna asked.

"Aye, I'm interested to see a new competitor this year." Gray said.

"We just have to hope another Dark Guild isn't allowed to participate, the matches against Raven Tail were a complete nightmare." Mira said.

"Raven Tail were definitely not men." Elfman said, agreeing with his sister.

"I think it would be interesting if they had a Guild Masters-only match." Gajeel said.

"Jeez, do you want the entire arena to be destroyed, Gajeel? Dummy." Levy said, hitting him on the shoulder with her tiny fist, which Gajeel probably didn't even feel.

"It wouldn't be fair for the other guilds, Onii-chan would wipe the floor with everyone as usual." Wendy chimed in, earning a smile from Natsu.

"True, but man...that would be something to see, wouldn't it?" Gray said.

"Indeed." Erza agreed, nodding her head, "I've never seen Natsu go all out with my own eyes, but I've heard it's something to fear."

"Jeez, don't hype me up so much, you guys. I'm not the only strong Master in Fiore..." Natsu replied.

"At any rate, it's something I would pay good money to see. I wonder when the first event is going to begin?" Gajeel said, and as if on cue, a siren sounded throughout Crocus and a voice came through what they all assumed to be loudspeakers throughout the town,

"Ladies and gentlemen of Crocus and our humble guests from all across the land, we welcome you to our city, and are pleased to announce the starting event of this year's Grand Magic Games will begin in only an hour! The rules of said match will be revealed inside the arena, so to all of you who came to watch, please come settle into the stands and claim your seat. The guilds that are participating have been predetermined by a poll taken recently, and I will now announce those that are participating in this year's Games!" a man said over the loudspeaker, and he continued,

"Fairy Tail! Sabertooth! Lamia Scale! Blue Pegasus! Mermaid Heel! and last but not least, Ordine Alba Rosa! Those that have been selected may take their respective places in their box seating, as the event will soon go underway, so please hurry and make your way to the stadium!"

"Ordine Alba Rosa? Has anyone ever heard of that guild before?" Yukino asked.

"No, but if they're an unknown guild, that seems a bit fishy considering there was a "poll" to determine who was competing. Maybe they just aren't well recognised." Mira said.

"I guess we'll see when we get there, eh? Come on everyone, let's not waste any time." Natsu said, standing up and organising his guild and setting off for the arena. As he and Yukino walked hand in hand to the arena, he couldn't help but feel like he recognised that name from somewhere.

_Ordine Alba Rosa...Ordine Alba Rosa...the name sends a shiver down my spine. Where have I seen that before? _he thought to himself, not paying attention as he walked and Yukino seemed to notice this as she asked,

"Are you feeling alright, Natsu-sama?"

"What? Oh...yeah, I'm fine." he replied.

"Natsu-sama, I know when you're lying to me." she pouted, staring him down with her big chocolate eyes until he caved.

"Well, it's just... I feel like I know that guild, Ordine Alba Rosa. The name is really familiar, like it was important or something, but my memory of it is hazy." he said with a worried expression on his face.

"Does it give you a bad feeling or something?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"No, not a bad feeling, just... it's hard to explain, it's like I can remember vividly that that name was important to me somehow, but now I can't recall a thing." he said.

"Maybe seeing their members will jog your memory?" she said.

"I hope so, I really need some answers." he replied.

The guild walked in silence down the even busier streets until they reached the entrance of the arena, where they were ushered into a different line since they were competing and led to their special guild seating. Everyone just sat and talked amongst themselves, waiting for the first event to start as the civilians settled down into their coliseum seats. After what seemed like an eternity, they heard the Fiore National Anthem begin, and everyone in the stadium hushed up in preparation of whoever was about to speak.

As the anthem ended, the Grand Magic Games mascot, Mato-kun the pumpkin man walked out into the middle of the arena, taking a mic and speaking in his obnoxious, high-pitched tone,

"Welcome, all of you, to the Grand Magic Games! I'm sure you're all eager to see the first event get underway, so I'll cut right to the chase. We will be selecting random members from one of the six guilds competing for the first match, but there's a twist. The winner of the first match will go on to face more opponents in succession, earning more points with each win. Said person can end their streak at any point and keep the points they've earned, or continue even longer to gain more points but at the cost of being weakened from previous battles. Oh, and if you beat the streak of the winner, you gain all of their points they've accumulated! So, without further ado, the first matchup will be between…" Mato-kun said, pulling two pieces of paper from his hat, "Levy McGarden of Fairy Tail, and Rogue Cheney of Sabertooth!"

The crowd roared at the interesting matchup right off the bat, the two strongest guilds pitted against each other. Contrary to what Natsu had expected from the tiny bluenette, Levy looked raring to go, already making her way down to the entrance to the arena by herself.

"I guess a pep talk wasn't needed then." Natsu said to nobody in particular.

Levy reached the centre of the arena, wearing a cloak that blew behind her in the wind. Rogue was wearing his usual stoic expression and his half-coat with his hair tied back, looking generally uninterested.

"This is my opponent?" Rogue questioned, as if the officials had made some sort of mistake.

"Jeez, at least pretend that you aren't underestimating me, idiot." Levy replied, smirking.

"I've seen your magic before, it won't even be able to leave a scratch on me. You might as well surrender now." he said.

"Oh, have you _reeeally_ seen my magic?" she said with a giggle as she threw her cloak to the side, revealing a more usual Levy outfit, but completed by a large black intricately patterned mark that wrapped around her neck and down her arm in the shape of various pieces of metal and odd contraptions.

You could practically hear everyone from Fairy Tail's jaws hit the floor as they turned to look at Gajeel, who was trying his hardest to avert his eyes and hide his proud grin.

"Is that what I think it is, Gajeel?" Natsu asked, and he nodded his head.

"That's just like Yukino-san's mark she got from Onii-chan!" Wendy shouted.

"Then that means..." Erza began, but Gajeel stuffed his hand over her mouth quickly, shouting nervously,

"WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT, THE MATCH IS ABOUT TO START! LET'S ALL WATCH QUIETLY!" he said with a nervous "gee-hee."

"Just like Yukino's! If the same holds true for you, then that makes you a Dragon Slayer as well?" Rogue said.

"Aye! I'm gonna show Gajeel and everyone else at Fairy Tail how strong I am now!" she shouted, readying herself for the ensuing fight.

"Before the match gets underway, let me introduce our judges this year! Returning from last year, we have Yajima-san the ex-Council member, Jason the reporter and our special guest for the day, Fairy Tail's previous Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar!" Mato-kun squealed, as the judges waved.

"Master!" the members of Fairy Tail exclaimed as he waved back and smiled at them.

"The match has a time limit of thirty minutes! Begin...now!" Mato-kun shouted.

_"I wonder why I couldn't smell that Levy had become a Dragon Slayer, everyone else has a different scent than those that use our magic. Do you have an idea, Yu-chan?"_ Natsu communicated to her.

_"Well, if her scent hasn't changed yet, it must have been a very recent transformation for her, maybe even as recent as a day or two ago."_ she replied.

_"If she only just became a Dragon Slayer, wouldn't that give Rogue an advantage? That would mean she's barely had any time to practice using Gajeel's magic."_ he said.

_"She seems confident enough. I guess we'll just have to see how she does."_ she replied, squeezing his hand.

Wasting no time, Rogue melted into the shadows on the ground and flew towards Levy, but she was too wise for such tricks. Transforming her hand into an iron pole, she smashed it into the ground at her feet, cracking the earth and sending large shockwaves through the arena. Her attack was clearly to eliminate Rogue's advantage of using the shadows, and he flew back from the force of the blow.

Hitting the wall of the arena with a crack, Levy flew at him, almost hitting Rogue directly with her _Iron Dragon's God Sword_ as he narrowly dodged it by moving his head to the side. Pushing off the wall, he landed a series of kicks and punches to Levy, who was having a difficult time keeping up with his nimble movements. Hiding her face with her arms, Rogue couldn't predict the flurry of iron that collided with him directly as he saw her inflated cheeks release their pent up energy as she shouted,

_Roar of the Iron Dragon!_

shredding Rogue's body and sending him skipping along the ground like a pebble. Staggering to his feet, he was getting angry at the apparently one sided battle he was fighting.

"Tch, I'll end this now!" he shouted, crossing his arms and willing himself to enter Primal Dragon Force. However, no matter how much he tried to summon the strength he used so often, it simply would not come.

"Why. Isn't. It. Working!?" he shouted, making the stance over and over again but not changing and making himself look dumb.

Not giving him time to recover from his failure, Levy launched a relentless barrage of punches and jabs from her arms that were now coated in iron, bruising and battering his face as she shouted,

"You lack the conviction! You cannot will power like that without a purpose, Rogue! That is why you, Sting and all of Sabertooth are WEAK!" she shouted, finishing him with an uppercut that launched him into the air as she did a flip and kicked him in mid-air, sending him flying into the concrete wall of the arena.

Falling limply out of the crater in the wall, it was clear that Rogue had been defeated and was left unconscious. The crowd cheered and screamed at the one sided slaughter of the Saber member, as Levy waved and blew kisses back to the audience, beaming brightly.

"YEAH! YOU DID IT, SHRIMP!" Gajeel shouted as he cried tears of joy at her victory.

"So, you wanna tell us what happened with you and Levy now, Gajeel?" Natsu asked, nudging him with his elbow and laughing to himself.

"Eh...later tonight." he said nervously, going red in the face.

Walking back out into the centre of the arena, Mato-kun the pumpkin tapped the mic and said,

"Quite the first match of the day! After I call the next name, you either have the choice to continue your streak or drop out and keep your accumulated points. Your next opponent will be... Jura Neekis of Lamia Scale!" Mato-kun said, addressing Levy.

_"Oi, Shrimp, it's me."_ Gajeel said in her head.

_"Gajeel? Is that you?"_ she replied.

_"Aye. Listen, now would be the time to drop out, even though you're a lot stronger, Jura is still one of the Ten Wizard Saints, and he even gave Laxus a run for his money. We can make the points back, and we might even get called on again."_ he said.

_"Yeah...yeah, you're right, Gajeel."_ she replied.

Turning to face the pumpkin, she looked down and said,

"I'll be taking my points and dropping out."

"As you wish! Fairy Tail leads so far with two points!" Mato-kun announced. The crowd sounded disappointed that Levy want going to continue fighting, but they were satisfied nonetheless.

"Jura-san's new opponent will be..." he said, rummaging his hand through his hat and pulling out a piece of paper, "Alexia of Ordine Alba Rosa!"

Dropping down from their box seating and onto the ground of the arena was a young woman who was probably around Yukino's age. She wore her salmon coloured hair in a simple but elegant braid, and she wore a simple silver dress and sandals. At first, Natsu didn't recognise her, but then he began to get that feeling from earlier before, the one that sent a chill down his spine from a feeling of familiarity. Suddenly, his head exploded with pain, causing him to fall to his knees and stare at the ground as his vision blurred and he saw fragments of some terrible event flashing through his head: a city on fire, it's citizens running about while they were still ablaze, looking like human candles. Natsu saw a man in the robes similar to the ones that Alexia was wearing, and he was carrying a young boy and in each arm, when something exploded next to him, covering the lower half of his body in rubble.

"Dad!" the girl shouted, trying her hardest to pull him out from under the rubble, however fruitless it was.

"Alexia...take Abel and get as far away from here as you can. Your brothers and sisters will meet up with you two deeper into the forest."

"Dad, we can't just leave you here, you can't die!" Alexia shrieked.

"You and your brothers and sister are the future of our kingdom, you must survive at all costs. I love you both, now do as I say. Go!" the man shouted.

Alexia, tears streaming down her face, nodded and grabbed her younger brother's hand and ran off towards the forest and out of the burning city.

"Igneel...you'll pay for this." the girl said under her breath.

Regaining his consciousness in present time, he looked up to see his friends staring down at him with horrified expressions.

"Natsu...are you okay?" Gray asked slowly.

"Y-Yeah, yeah I think so. Why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked.

"You kept muttering that girl's name, then started speaking some language we couldn't understand, and you had this wild look in your eye." Yukino said.

"Is that right?" he asked in disbelief.

"Do you know that woman, Natsu?" Yukino asked, pointing at Alexia.

"I...I think so." he responded with a shaky voice.

"Where have you seen her before?" Wendy asked.

"I think...no, that's crazy. I must have seen her somewhere else." Natsu said, but Yukino heard that one word from his mind that made her gasp and cover her mouth with her hand in utter shock. Something she never thought she would hear him say in a million years, an impossible word for her husband, it couldn't be...

_"Sister."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! Finally hit over 40 favs and 50 follows, woo! It might seem small to you guys but watching this story get that much attention really means a lot to me. I just wanted to briefly touch on something that I thought you guys might be wondering: why is Sting acting like a villain or just an asshole to Natsu? I don't necessarily mean to portray him as a bad guy, but here's my take on it: Sting really did feel bad about the way they treated Yukino when she was in Saber, and it took a lot for him to ask her to return to his guild. Seeing the person he viewed as an idol his whole life sweeping his potential love interest off her feet and off to the guild that just kicked his ass made something really snap inside of him, and he now harbours a grudge against him for that. If you weren't confused by Sting's actions, then you didn't need an explanation, but I thought it was a little confusing for the reader. Anyways, as usual, enjoy!**

**Chapter 8: Heirs to the Throne**

"Hmm? What's the matter, Yu-chan?" Natsu asked her.

Still unable to speak from the shock of what she had just heard, she opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. Taking a second to compose herself, she whispered so quietly only a Dragon Slayer would be able to hear it,

_"Sister?"_

His eyes went wide at what she said, and he quickly said,

"Wh-what?! No, no, that's not it, Yu-chan! She just... I don't know. She looks like me, I guess. You know I don't have a...you know." he said.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she realised just how silly she was being. There was no way that Natsu had a sister, he was raised by a dragon, an only child. Even if he did have a sister, how could he forget that she existed?

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, Natsu-sama. That was the only word I heard in your head, and it took me by surprise." she said apologetically.

"I don't blame you, I would have reacted the same way you did." he said, looking back at the arena.

_She does look a lot like him, though,_ she thought to herself.

Alexia and Jura said nothing, apparently just sizing each other up. Alexia seemed neither overly confident or scared of her opponent, but rather quite calm. Jura kept his usual peaceful expression with a smirk like he always did.

"I look forward to fighting you, Alexia-san." he said with a smile.

"Sorry, but you're in my way, Jiraiya or whatever your name is." she said impatiently, "I didn't come here to fight all you scrubs, I'm looking for someone important."

"Oh, and who might that be?" Jura asked.

"Doesn't concern you. If I win this thing, he's sure to take notice of me...if he's still alive." she said, her ears drooping.

"Were you two separated?" Jura asked her, to which she nodded.

"A dragon destroyed our city many years ago, and it abducted my brother and three of our cousins. I thought that they had all died long ago, and that I was one of the few survivors of my kingdom. However, I recently got a tip from a guildmate that there was a man that was renowned for his Fire Dragon Slaying magic with pink- er, salmon coloured hair that seemed to fit the description of my brother. I thought we should compete so I could see if the rumours were true, that my brother was alive." she said.

Natsu could feel the eyes of all his guildmates on him as he felt his hands shake a little.

"What of the cousins that you lost as well? What do they look like?" Jura asked.

"One was a girl with blue hair, another a boy with short blue hair as well and a boy with long black hair. I've no idea what they look like after all these years." she replied.

Natsu's worst fears seemed to be confirmed as he looked over at specific members of his guild: Wendy, girl with blue hair, Rin, boy that also had blue hair and Gajeel, long black hair. They all used the same magic, which only made it more scary to think that there might be a connection between them all. Natsu was sick of being in the dark, he needed answers and he wanted them now.

"Rin, Wendy, Gajeel, come here." Natsu said, turning around to face the three. They all complied and approached Natsu, who pulled them together into a huddle as they all disappeared in a red flash of light. Reappearing in the centre of the arena next to Alexia, she turned around and looked surprised to see four newcomers standing next to her. Her eyes widened when she saw Natsu, who she stared at with a startled expression. Just as quickly as she was taken by surprise, her eyes softened as she began to cry and sniffed at the air, saying,

"Abel...is that you?"

"Alexia...who are you? Who am I?" he asked, uncertain of his own words.

"D-do you r-remember me, Abel? It's m-me, your little sister!" she exclaimed.

"My name is...Natsu, not Abel, Alexia." he said.

"But, you smell just like Onii-chan! And you're a Dragon Slayer, like me!" she shouted.

"Wait, what? Like you?!" he asked.

"Yes, we're both Fire Dragon Slayers, right? We're the only two in the world, it's the rarest of Dragon Slayer magic! Only those of our bloodline can use that kind of magic!" she exclaimed.

"Bloodline? What are you talking about, Alexia?" he asked, very confused.

"Do you not remember a thing, Onii-chan?" she asked, pouting, "we're the children of the King of the Rose Kingdom!"

Now it was the crowd's turn to gasp. Apparently, the Rose Kingdom was well known to everyone but Natsu.

"But, I was raised by a dragon, I'm not royalty!" he shouted back.

"Wait, WHAT?!" she shouted in pure disbelief.

"Yeah, my earliest memory is being cared for by Igneel, the fire dragon." he responded.

Remembering his vision from earlier, he immediately felt like an idiot for mentioning that it was Igneel that had brought him up. He recalled that it was Igneel who had destroyed their kingdom, and killed their father.

"You...you...how could you just..._Igneel_..." she said, her fists shaking with rage and gritting her teeth.

"Alexia..." he began, but was cut off when she erupted in flames, now screaming at him,

"HOW COULD YOU LET THAT MONSTER RAISE YOU LIKE A PARENT?! HE KILLED OUR FATHER, DESTROYED OUR KINGDOM AND MURDERED THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE! HE ABDUCTED YOU, STOLE YOU AWAY FROM ME AND OUR COUSINS AND RAISED YOU LIKE SOME SORT OF SICK SPOIL OF WAR! HOW...HOW..." she screamed, breaking down into sobs and put her face in her hands as she fell to her knees. Natsu wasn't sure what to say, but his instincts told him what needed to be done and he got down to his knees and wrapped his arms around his sister, rubbing his hands on her back and trying his hardest to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry, Alexia. I didn't remember a thing from my past, I had no idea that Igneel had done such horrible things to us. You don't have to look for me any longer, your big brother is right here, from here on out. I'm so glad that I have a real family." he cooed into her ear.

"Onii-chan..." she said, burying her head in his chest and just letting all of her sadness and angst out in the comfort of her brother's embrace. _How do I always end up in situations like these, comforting some girl and reassuring her that it's all going to be OK? I don't mind, but man. _he thought to himself as he held his sister close to him as she cried into his shirt.

"Alexia?" Natsu said after around thirty seconds.

"Hmm?" she replied, looking up at him with puffy eyes.

"Those cousins of ours that we lost too..." he began, helping her to her feet and turning her to face Wendy, Rin and Gajeel. She clasped her hands over her mouth, as she began to cry again, asking,

"Noah...Shiemi...Mikorin, are you all really here?" she asked between tears.

"Um...my name is Wendy, this is Rin and this is Gajeel." Wendy said, bowing to her, introducing her friends.

Alexia ran over to the three and pulled them all together in a big group hug, laughing and shouting happily,

"I can't believe it! All of my family, together again! This is a dream come true!"

"Nice to meet you too..." Rin said.

The crowd "Awwww"ed at the family reunion occurring in place of the battle, as Jura awkwardly stood to the side and observed with a smile on his face.

"Mikorin...what kind of name is that..." Gajeel muttered to himself as he was being crushed in between Wendy and Rin.

"Shiemi sounds nice..." Wendy choked out, unable to breathe from Alexia's crushing hug.

"Pumpkin man, I forfeit this match! Please choose someone else to take my place!" she shouted as she released the three.

"As you wish! Lamia Scale takes the match for two points!" Mato-kun shouted into the mic.

"Come on, Alexia, come meet my guild!" Natsu said, taking her hand and leading her back towards their box seats followed by Wendy, Rin and Gajeel. Bringing her up to meet his friends, they all welcomed her with open arms as she made herself at home.

"Alexia, meet my wife, Yukino." Natsu said, introducing his sister to his wife.

"Nice to meet you." Yukino said, bowing.

"Quite the catch, Abel. I never would have figured you a ladies man." she said, nudging her brother playfully with her elbow.

"Jeez, you're already embarrassing me?" Natsu said, making the two women laugh.

Since the crowd had lost interest in the ensuing battle, the officials called a thirty minute intermission, giving Natsu's sister plenty of time to get acquainted. She got along with everyone splendidly, especially Lucy, and was surprised to learn that her brother was the Master of the strongest guild in Fiore.

"Just like my older brother to take charge, he always seemed like a natural born leader." Alexia said, always complimenting him.

"So, tell me about your guild, Alexia. I've never heard of it until now." Natsu said.

"Well, all it is are all of the remaining members of the Rose Kingdom, hence the name "Order of the White Rose" in Latin. Being one of the two Fire Dragon Slayers still alive, they thought I should be the Master, but I don't see myself as a leader, so someone else was elected in my place. We don't take too many bounties, just enough to get by really, and we've never participated in a GMG." she responded.

"Actually, one of three, Alexia." he replied.

"Come again?" she said.

"Yukino is a Fire Dragon Slayer too." he said nonchalantly.

"Wait, what?! How is that possible?" she asked in disbelief.

"When I mated with her, she gained my magic, replacing her Celestial Spirit magic with my own." he said.

"Wow, that's crazy. How many Dragon Slayers are in your guild, Abel?" she asked.

"Well..." he said, counting on each finger, "Including Levy, that makes eight."

"Impressive, Onii-chan, you must be the guild with the most Dragon Slayers in all of Fiore then." she replied.

"They keep showing up left and right, so yeah, I think we're up there." he said.

"Care to have one more?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him as he rolled his eyes.

"I take that as an 'I want to join your guild'?" he said.

"Can I?! Please, please please!" she begged.

"You act like there was a chance that I was going to say no, Alexia." he said, smiling at her.

Pulling him into a crushing hug, she shouted excitedly,

"Yaaaay! I get to be in Onii-chan's guild!"

"Wait, what about your own guild? What about the rest of your team, what about the GMG?" he asked, since it seemed like she was forgetting a lot of details.

"We don't actually need to compete, I only participated to follow a lead to finding you after all. Nobody would mind if we dropped out now." she said nonchalantly.

"Is that really alright?" he asked, unsure if she had the authority to simply drop out, along with the rest of her team.

"Trust me, it's really not a problem, Onii-chan. They understand how long I've been looking for you and our cousins, I have faith that they will agree with my decision to leave." she said.

"If it's alright with them, I see no problem in you joining Fairy Tail. Welcome." he said, extending his arms out as she ran into them and hugged him happily. The feeling of having a real sister was very new to him, but it felt oddly comforting, like he always had another shoulder to lean on. Sniffing her, he said,

"You smell different, Alexia, kind of like a meadow in the springtime. Is this what siblings smell like?" he asked. Blushing, she replied,

"Jeez, Onii-chan, don't say things like that out of nowhere. You smell nice, too..." she squeaked.

"_Ooookay_, well, if we're all done smelling each other, the next match is about to begin." Yukino interrupted, pushing them apart as they both went red in the face at having to be separated.

"Y-yeah, that's right! I was just, uh...inducting her into the guild!" Natsu said, lying through his teeth and laughing nervously. With one eyebrow raised, Yukino and the others looked back at the centre of the arena to see Mato-kun the pumpkin walking back into the arena and announcing,

"The thirty minute intermission is now over! The next opponent for Jura of Lamia Scale will be... Kagura of Mermaid Heel!"

The crowd erupted in cheers at the mention of a fan favourite contender in many past GMGs: Kagura of Mermaid Heel. On par with Erza, she was a force to be reckoned with in the last Grand Magic Games, but Jura was nothing to turn your nose up at either, being one of the Ten Wizard Saints. Kagura walked coolly out into the centre of the arena, as did Jura.

Yukino wasn't paying attention to their exchange, however, as she still had a deadly fear of Kagura from the previous games. Her match with Kagura had been the whole reason that she was kicked out of Saber, humiliated and then recruited by Natsu to Fairy Tail. In a way, she felt in debt to Kagura, since none of this could have been possible without Kagura defeating her. If she wasn't pregnant, she would have quite liked to have a rematch with Kagura, to settle the score once and for all.

"The time limit is thirty minutes. Begin!" Mato-kun shouted, as Kagura put on a burst of speed and erupted towards Jura.

Jura, knowing how deadly she could be if she got close to him, used his Earth magic to form a pillar at his feet and gain altitude to attack from a distance. Kagura, who didn't bother to climb the tower of earth, hacked at it from it's base with the invisible slashes of her sheathed sword, cutting it up and sending him crashing down to the ground, where she hacked at him with her weapon. Jura, surprisingly, was very nimble and proficient at dodging, and played on the defensive, hitting her with a large rock from her blind spot and knocking her back into the wall of the arena.

Getting out relatively unharmed, she altered the gravity of the arena, probably so Jura couldn't use projectiles to attack her from a distance as she closed the gap. Jura was no fool, however, and made a pitfall from beneath her feet and closed the hole while she was still inside, effectively crushing her inside the ground. As the crowd gasped at her seeming demise, they saw her attempting to crawl out but just barely, using her Gravity magic to create a small area for her body to escape. Jura allowed her no window of opportunity, however, and pummeled her with rocks as she tried to escape the crevice she was stuck in, bruising and battering her relentlessly. In a stroke of brilliance, she thought to lower the gravity in the crevice, launching her out of it and into the air, where she sent an air slash from her sword at an unsuspecting Jura, catching him off guard and landing a direct blow, sending him flying and skipping on the ground like a pebble as he hit the concrete wall of the arena. It was clear the two mages were both exhausted from their evenly matched battle, as Kagura did the unexpected and Requipped a second copy of her sword, Archenemy.

"She learned Requip magic?!" Erza said in disbelief.

Her two swords glowing, they fell out of their sheathes as she shouted,

_Archenemy: Twin Demon Blades!_

sending a large X-shaped red slash at Jura, who didn't even see it coming and exploded from the force of the magic, sending a shock wave through the arena and blowing everyone's hair back. When the smoke had cleared, Jura was unconscious, his body burned from the explosion of her magic.

"Kagura has defeated Jura of Lamia Scale! She claims his two points for herself, putting Mermaid Heel in the lead with four points!" Mato-kun squealed into the mic.

"Wow, it's like she got even stronger than last year, she even beat Jura!" Levy exclaimed.

"She's definitely a force to be reckoned with." Gray said, nodding his head in agreement.

As the day went on, Kagura went on to beat tonnes of the "less skilled" members of other guilds: Yuka and Toby of Lamia Scale, various members of Blue Pegasus and even Orga of Sabertooth, who gave her a run for her money but still lost. At this point, Kagura had accumulated sixteen points for Mermaid Heel, Fairy Tail being the only other team with any points.

"Well, as exciting as the matches today have been, the first day of the Grand Magic Games is coming to a close! This next match will be the last of the day! Kagura's last opponent will be... Lisanna of Fairy Tail!" Mato-kun shouted, pulling her name out of his hat.

"M-Me?!" Lisanna shouted in disbelief.

"Come on Lisanna, kick her ass and put us in the lead!" Gajeel said, slapping her on the back.

"Have you not SEEN her completely destroy everyone she has come across today?! I don't stand a chance!" she shrieked.

"Lisanna." Natsu said, as she turned to face her best friend,

"I know how you feel right now, you're scared of her, I get that. But...you can't stop now, all of the guild's thoughts are with you. Remember all that training we did, Lisanna? You've overcome a lot more obstacles than someone like Kagura, I'm beyond proud of how far you've come. No matter how this match ends, know that." he said, putting a hand on her cheek.

"Natsu..." she said, her eyes going soft as she nodded fiercely, "I won't let you down!"

"I know you won't, Lisanna. Now, go get her!" he said, as Lisanna responded with "Aye!" and hopped down off of the box seating and down into the arena. She was met with the usual chorus of cheers and applause, as Fairy Tail was the fan favourite guild after last year.

"So you'll be my last victory of the day, then?" Kagura asked her.

"You've already made a mistake, Kagura." she replied, not meeting her gaze.

"Hmm? And what might that be?" she asked sarcastically.

"NEVER underestimate Fairy Tail!" she shouted, as her guild and the crowd roared and applauded in unison.

"The time limit is thirty minutes. Begin!"

"I'll take care of you quickly, in that case." she said, drawing both her blades and sending the same red slash that hit Jura right off the bat at Lisanna, which exploded on contact.

"LISANNA!" the guild shouted as they waited for the smoke to clear. What they saw next, nobody could have prepared them for. Covering her face with her new scaly red arms, she uncrossed them to reveal her new Take Over, which looked practically identical to Natsu's Primal Dragon Force.

_"Dragon Soul!" _she shouted.

Chuckling to herself, Lisanna looked up and spoke to Kagura, saying,

"I'm done being on the sidelines. Today, I'm taking the spotlight." After she had finished speaking, she let out an animalistic roar that pierced everyone's ears and practically sent Erik into hysterics, as Natsu just crossed his arms and grinned.

"NATSU-SAMA, WHY THE HELL CAN SHE DO THAT!? WAIT- YOU MATED WITH HER! YOU CHEATER!" Yukino shrieked at him, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him close to her.

"NO NO NO NO YU-CHAN, IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE, I SWEAR!" he shouted back, covering his face with his arms.

"IS THAT RIGHT?!" she shrieked back, and Natsu nodded nervously.

"He's right, Yukino, look at her neck. There's no mating mark." Lucy said, pointing at Lisanna.

"...Oh. Ahem, I'm sorry, Natsu-sama. Forgive me for my outburst." she said quietly.

"Uh...don't worry about it. I didn't do anything with her, Yu-chan, have some faith in me, jeez." he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry, Natsu-sama, but I can't shake this feeling that you have some giant secret harem that I don't know about." she replied.

"H-harem?! I have no such thing..." he said, his face going red.

"He totally does..." she heard Lucy whisper to Alexia, who giggled profusely. "'Onii-chan, Onii-chan'!" she heard Lucy say to Alexia, clearly impersonating Wendy.

"Something to say to me, Lucy-san?" Wendy asked her menacingly, appearing directly behind Lucy.

"EEEEEEK!" she shrieked, jumping behind Alexia to avoid Wendy's wrath.

Natsu couldn't help but laugh at the situation that was unfolding, but he resolved to the back to face the match that was just now beginning.

Lisanna let loose a roar of fire from her mouth, which Kagura tried to cut with her sword but it would not part, and she ended up having to dodge the blaze as she burned her leg in the process. Seeing that putting distance between them would only put her at a disadvantage, she closed the gap between the two, hacking and slashing at her with her sword.

Lisanna suffered no serious injuries, as her scales were harder than any substance found in nature, and her strikes bounced off of her body with a _clang_ each time she attacked. Lisanna, who had been covering herself with her arms, headbutted Kagura and clotheslined the hell out of her with her fist, making her cough up blood as she was slammed down into the earthy floor, _hard_. Taking a second to stagger to her feet, Kagura realised she had made a fatal mistake that match: she should have dropped out and kept her points, because all of the exhaustion of her previous matches hit her all at once after that blow, and she felt very weak and tired. Powerlessly swinging her swords at Lisanna, she sidestepped each attack effortlessly, as she even knew Kagura was at the end of the line.

"It's...not over until I say it's over..." Kagura choked out.

"You made a mistake, Kagura, that's fine, you're only human. You let your ego get the better of you, and look at you now." Lisanna said sadly, looking at the bruised and bloodied woman.

"Mistakes can be...corrected, with enough...willpower." she said, coughing up more blood.

"I don't want to hurt you any more, Kagura, can't you please just stop this?" Lisanna asked her.

"No! I will finish you!" she shouted, as Lisanna sighed and flew forward and punched her in the stomach, knocking her out cold.

"Go to sleep now, Kagura." she whispered, as the crowd cheered at her victory.

"Lisanna of Fairy Tail is the winner! All of Kagura's points have been given to Fairy Tail, putting them in the lead with eighteen points to nothing for all other guilds!" Mato-kun the pumpkin said.

Picking up Kagura in her arms, Lisanna returned to her normal form and carried her back to Kagura's guildmates, who thanked her for her kindness. Returning to her own guild, Lisanna was hoisted into the air by her guild and celebrated as the saviour of the first day of the Games.

"I knew you could do it, Lisanna!" Natsu said.

"My sister is a MAN!" Elfman roared, and was promptly slapped upside the head by Evergreen who reminded him his sister was, in fact, not a man.

"Nobody else even stood a chance against Kagura! That was great, Lisanna!" Cana shouted.

As everyone celebrated, Erik stood at the back of the box, leaning against a wall and trying to drown out the noise. Kinana, who noticed that he was the only one not having a good time, approached him and grabbed his hand and asked him,

"Erik, what's wrong? Why aren't you celebrating?"

"Wha- oh, nothing's wrong. I'm just... not used to being in such a lively guild, that's all." he replied.

"Well, now's the time to get used to it, silly. Everyone here is your friend, you don't need to distance yourself from your guildmates." she said.

"I suppose you're right, Kinana. I guess that I'm just used to acting like I did in Oracion Seis. I never used to call any of my old guildmates 'friend', and we certainly didn't do any celebrating, at least not for any good reason." he said.

"Erik...when I was a snake, you know, your 'partner'..." Kinana said, her voice trailing off.

"Yeah?" he asked her.

"Do you wish I had stayed like that?" she asked, which made him very angry for some reason.

"Hey, do NOT go around thinking like that. It's true, Cubellios was my partner, and we were friends, but that doesn't mean that I would want you to change back to the way you used to be. Cubellios and Oracion Seis are from a different part of my life, one that's since ended. I want to get to know my partner as Kinana, not Cubellios. There was so much to be desired when you were a snake, we could never have real conversations or a real friendship. Now, I have everything I could have ever asked for, and I wouldn't ask you to change for anything in the world." he said, looking at her deeply with his one eye.

"Erik..." she began, putting her small hand on the long scar that ran through his other eye, "thank you...for coming back to me, and for such kind words. I feel terrible for all that's happened to you in your past. All the time you spent in prison... your own _eye." _she said, rubbing his scar.

"I intend to make up for all the lost time and past mistakes from here on out, Kinana, you and Natsu went out of your way to get me released from prison, I haven't forgotten that. My eye is a daily reminder of the man I used to be, and it encourages me to change my life for the better. My eyesight is a lenient punishment for my crimes." he said.

"I wish there was something I could do to help make it better..." she said, to which he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, I only need one eye to see your pretty face anyways." he said with a laugh.

Blushing at his compliment, she replied,

"Th-thank you, Erik. Will you come be social now?" she asked, to which he nodded, and took her by the hand to lead her off towards the rest of their guild.

As the guild walked back to their inn, everyone had sort of spread apart and walked home at their own pace. Natsu carried Yukino back in his arms, stating a pregnant woman shouldn't have to walk as Gray complied to carry Juvia on his back while she squealed all the way back. Lucy and Alexia walked back side by side, talking up a storm, having became good friends in such a short time knowing eachother, leaving Wendy, Rin, Charle and Happy to walk back on their own.

"What an amazing first day! Nobody else even has any points, and we have eighteen!" Rin shouted, fist pumping.

"I wish Natsu got to fight too." Happy said with a sad tone.

"If our Master got to fight, then it wouldn't be fair for the other teams. Who knows, they might have a special exception this year, don't count it out yet that he's not going to participate." Charle replied.

"Onii-chan can beat anyone there, Charle is right!" Wendy said fiercely.

"It's crazy, though, I never would have thought that you were my cousin, Wendy, the Master too. I guess all First Generation Dragon Slayers are connected then?" Rin said.

"It would seem like that, Rin-san, or is it Noah-san?" Wendy replied.

"Don't call me Noah or I'll start calling you Shiemi." Rin pouted.

"I don't mind, I like both names. I wonder what comes next after today though, how are the other teams going to catch up in points?" Wendy asked.

"I doubt they would let us win by some huge margin, so I'm sure the other teams will have ample opportunities to come back." Charle said with a smirk.

As they walked and made general small talk, Charle had another one of her rare premonitions into the future, fragmented and almost incomprehensible. A blinding white light, the sounds of screams and gasps from the crowd, and worst of all, Alexia knelt over Natsu's seemingly lifeless body, screaming and crying as a maniacal laughter echoed throughout the background.

Charle stopped walking and fell to her knees, disturbed by the vision she had just had. The others, who noticed she had stopped, ran back to help her to her feet.

"Are you alright, Charle?!" Wendy and Happy asked in unison.

"Y-yes, I'm fine. I just... no, it's nothing." she said, not wanting to tell any of them what she had just seen.

"Did you have another vision, Charle? You can tell us if you did." Wendy said, encouraging her to tell them.

"Really, it's fine, Wendy. I just tripped, that's all." she said, waving off her concerns.

"If you say so, Charle. Come on, we're almost back to the inn." Wendy said, picking her up in her arms and holding her as she walked. However, even if Wendy and Happy had been fooled, Rin was the wiser of the three. He could smell a lie from a mile away, and even though he was unaware of her apparent ability to see glimpses of the future until now, Rin knew that Charle was hiding something from her friends.

As everyone finally arrived back at the inn, the real celebration for their victory had begun. People drank merrily and jumped off tables, screaming and having a great time. As Natsu sat next to Yukino at a table, he caught a flying chair in mid-air with one hand and crushed it, then got up on a table and shouted,

"FAIRY TAIL!", ceasing all celebration and causing everyone to turn and look at their Master.

"Let me make something clear to you all, which should go unsaid but it's been made apparent that it's going to be a problem. My wife is pregnant, and is carrying my only child. This makes her more vulnerable to the guild's usual shenanigans, which is why I need to instate a new rule for the time being: There are no flying chairs or projectiles within fifty feet of my wife, no brawls within thirty feet of her and if she even gets a scratch from any of your stupid antics, I'll have your heads mounted above my fireplace. Understand?!" he shouted.

Everyone shuddered and returned a scared "Yes, Master." to which he nodded and sat back down. Entering the guild, which had now immensely toned down it's celebrations, Wendy, Rin, Happy and Charle spotted Natsu and Yukino at a mostly empty round table and went to go sit down next to them.

"Hello, Onii-chan!" Wendy said happily, taking a seat next to her Master.

"Oi, Wendy, Rin, Happy, Charle. Did you all just get back?" he asked.

"I tried to buy Charle a fish on the way home, but she wouldn't take it, Natsu!" Happy said sadly, flying over and landing on Yukino's lap who smiled and pet his head.

"What a surprise. Has it occurred to you that maybe Charle _doesn't _like fish as much as you do, Happy?" Natsu asked him.

"Impossible, every cat likes fish!" Happy shot back.

"They most certainly _do not!" _Charle replied, causing the whole table to laugh at their antics.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen you two around the guild lately. Have you been spending a lot of time together, hmm?" Natsu asked mockingly, causing Happy to grin and Charle to blush, shooting back,

"N-No! I let him treat me to lunch now and then, but nothing more!" Charle replied, going red in the face.

"Riiiight. Damn, I'm hungry after all that excitement today. EVERYONE! WE'RE GOING OUT TO DINNER, MY TREAT!" Natsu shouted, earning a roar of approval from the rest of the guild as they all piled up the stairs to change into respectable attire for the night, and soon after, they had all piled out the door and into the street. Wendy, who _insisted _on Natsu carrying her, rode on his shoulders as the guild made their way through the crowded streets of Crocus in search of the nearest buffet, which they found soon enough as everyone squeezed through the doors and sat down, awaiting their meal.

The restaurant had to clear out most of their customers and push all of the tables together to make room for their guild, but they managed, and Fairy Tail sat at an extremely long table that barely had enough chairs for all of them. Everyone happily ate their food and made conversation as their large extended family gathered together for a meal. In the middle of dinner, Erza stood up and cleared her throat, as everyone turned to face her.

"I'd like to make a toast to not only Levy and Lisanna for their outstanding performance in the first day of the Games, but also our Master as well! Without Natsu, none of this could have been possible! To Natsu!" she said, holding up her glass.

"TO NATSU!" the table echoed as they all toasted to their Master. Natsu, grinning at Erza's display of kindness, stood up himself and cleared his own throat.

"Everyone, in the short time I've been Master, I've seen all of you come a long way. Even if you aren't participating in this year's Games, know that I'm proud of every one of you. I'd like to toast to Team Fairy Tail, as well as my sister, Alexia, who finally found her way back to me. Let's all do our best this year! To Fairy Tail!" he shouted, raising his glass.

"TO FAIRY TAIL!" the table echoed again, cheering and continuing their meal.

**Later that night **

Everyone either stumbled home from the buffet extremely drunk, or had to be carried by a less drunk guildmate as they headed back to their inn. Natsu carried his sleeping sister Alexia on his back, who had passed out earlier. _Apparently, she can't hold her alchohol very well, jeez. _Natsu thought to himself. Yukino and Wendy walked next to him, as Gray was forced (or rather voluntarily) to carry Juvia home, who had passed out hours ago from her drinking contest with Lucy. Lucy herself stumbled behind the group, and Rin was forced to prop her up against his shoulder when she fell to her feet and couldn't get up.

'Thanks for dinner, N-Natsu!" Lucy called from behind him, her speech slurred as she hiccuped.

"Don't mention it, Luce, maybe you shouldn't drink so much next time, you know you can't hold your alcohol very well." Natsu said.

"Nonsense, I can outdrink Cana any day!" she replied, burping loudly.

"I would think your sister wouldn't be such a lightweight, Natsu." Gray said.

"Neither did I, but I couldn't just leave her out cold on the floor." Natsu replied.

"Wanna trade for Juvia?" Gray asked hopefully.

"Trying to feel up my sister, huh, Gray?!" Natsu said menacingly with a murderous intent in his eyes.

"N-n-no way! I would never do that!" Gray stammered.

"I can't be so sure of that. Maybe I should tell Juvia that you would rather carry Alexia than her, I wonder how she would react to that?" Natsu said.

"NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" Gray shouted, imagining Juvia's wrath multiplied tenfold.

"Then be a good boy and take care of your girlfriend." Natsu said, ending the discussion.

"She's not my girlfriend..." they heard Gray mutter.

Most of Fairy Tail made it back to the guild without much issue, and after a long night of partying, everyone unanimously agreed to turn in for the night. Erza had requipped into her pajamas before even making it up the stairs, crawling at a snail's pace due to the effects of all the alcohol she had consumed. Natsu, who was eager to get to bed and was still carrying his sister, grabbed Erza by the waist and carried her up the stairs as well and set her down.

"Thanks N-Natsu! You're my h-hero!" Erza said in a drunken tone.

"Go to bed, Erza." Natsu said with a sigh as he went to go drop off Alexia in the room that Lucy and Levy shared. After getting his sister tucked into bed, he started back to his own room when Charle stopped him outside his door.

"Natsu, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked him.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow, Charle?" he said, followed by a long yawn.

"It's rather important." she said with a serious tone.

"Alright then, come downstairs with me." he said, descending the stairs with Charle hovering close to him as he plopped down into a chair in the back of the inn.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asked.

"I had another...vision, like I did last year." she said.

"Hmm, another one? What was it about?" he asked, his ears perking up and now clearly interested.

"It was fragmented and broken as usual, but I remember a vivid white light, the crowd looking surprised and in shock and..." she said, stopping at the end.

"And what?" he said.

"Your sister was crying... crying over you. It looked like you had... _died." _she said, shuddering at her last word. _  
><em>

"I died? Who killed me?" he asked.

"I don't know, but since the crowd was there, I imagine it happened in the arena." she said.

"Why would I be in the arena? Masters aren't allowed to even participate in the GMG." he replied.

"Like I said, it's just a glimpse of the future, I've no idea how or why things like that came to fruition but they did. I wanted to let you know because I think you deserve to know your own fate, and if possible, not to compete in the GMG." she said.

"Have all your past visions come true exactly as you saw them?" Natsu asked.

"More or less, they have. Especially with Sting and the rest of Sabertooth out to get you and Yukino, it seems like a recipe for disaster. The entire guild adores you, and it's not worth risking your life over a simple victory or a matter of points in some stupid competition." she said.

"I suppose you're right, Charle. Have you told Wendy or anyone else about your vision?" he asked.

"If I told Wendy that you died in a vision of the future, she would throw a fit. It's best that it stays between us, and I think it's wise for you not to tell anybody else about it either. There's no need to start a panic over a possible vision of the future." she said.

"If your visions always come true anyways, does it matter whether I compete or not?" he said, missing the point.

"I'm telling you this so you can avoid injury or death over something simple! Don't put yourself in harm's way, and no misfortune will befall on you! Think about everything you would leave behind when you die, your wife and child!" she shouted, getting irritated at her Master.

"...Fine. I'll heed your warning. Thank you for telling me this." he said solemnly, and left the table and ascended the stairs.

Laying in bed next to Yukino as she slept, Charle's words kept repeating over and over again in his head. _It looked like you had... died. _The words made him tremble in fear, thinking of leaving behind his wife and child without his presence in their lives. He wanted to stay with them, to stay with Fairy Tail for many more years, to have so many more adventures. He silently agreed with her proposal, and swore that he wouldn't participate in the GMG, no matter what.

**Meanwhile, across Crocus...**

Sting sat on a barrel at the edge of town, and watched as the cloaked figure he had arranged to meet with approached him from the alley.

"Sting of Sabertooth." the hooded man said.

"You said you can make me as strong as _him?" _Sting asked.

"Indeed I can, but what cost are you willing to pay in exchange for such power?" the man asked.

"Anything and everything." Sting replied.

"That's what I like to hear, Mr. Eucliffe. Once your goals have been achieved, we can work out some sort of payment for our transaction. Consider it a gift." the man said, handing him a small, round object wrapped in a purple cloth.

Removing the cloth, Sting gazed his eyes upon a small, glowing white lacrima that fit perfectly in the palm of his hand.

"The White Dragon Lacrima. I can't believe that you came into possession of something this powerful." Sting said, looking back up at the man.

"It's been passed down our Order for generations, and now, we give it to you. Use it wisely, Sting." the man said.

Gazing into the misty white substance inside the lacrima, Sting chuckled to himself.

"Wait 'til you get a feel of this, Natsu-san."


	9. Chapter 9

** Author's Note: Hello again! Thank you to everyone that has stuck with the story for this long, another friendly reminder to leave reviews on the chapters or even PM me with any questions, I've noticed a lack of reviews lately. Also, if you enjoyed, please fav/follow. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: The Perfect Team: Day 2 of the Grand Magic Games**

Yukino's eyelids fluttered open as she returned to consciousness, awaking from a deep sleep. Feeling for her husband's arm wrapped around her, she noticed that Natsu had woken up some time before her, and sighed as she rolled over in her bed, unexpectedly coming face to face with Natsu's sister Alexia, who was still snoring away.

"EEEEEEEEK!" she shrieked, flying out of bed and waking Alexia with a start.

"I'LL SAVE YOU ONII-CHA- what? Where's Onii-chan? Oh, hello Yukino!" she said cheerily.

"W-W-WHY WERE YOU IN MY BED?!" Yukino shouted.

"Hmm... that's a good question, Yukino. A better question would be why were you in MY bed?" she asked.

"THIS IS MY BED, I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT!" she shouted back, growing irritated at the young woman.

"Anyways, I wonder where Onii-chan went..." Alexia continued, sniffing the air for her brother's scent.

"You are not leaving until you tell me why you crawled into our bed!" Yukino said, blocking the doorway.

"Is it really that important to you?" she asked nonchalantly.

"YES!" she shouted in reply.

"I... whenever I used to have a bad dream, I would crawl into Onii-chan's bed. He told me that whenever I got scared, I could always come find him and he would keep me safe. I guess I just... missed that feeling." she said, her ears drooping.

"Alexia-san..." Yukino began, feeling a little sad for her, "I know how you feel, and maybe it was alright when you two were kids, but you can't just go sleeping in your brother's bed whenever you feel like it, especially now. Natsu-sama and I are married, and you shouldn't be trying to sleep with him, especially not when I'm right next to you!" she said.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry Yukino. I won't do it again, I promise." Alexia replied.

"It's OK, Alexia-san, don't worry about it." Yukino said, sitting down on the bed with Alexia and smiling at her.

"I'm glad I get to have such a cool older sister, too, you know." Alexia said with a wink.

Smiling back at her, Yukino said,

"If you're ready to get up now, let's go get some breakfast, alright?"

"Yay! Breakfast!" Alexia exclaimed, hopping out of bed and following Yukino out the bedroom door as the pair descended the stairs. They were greeted by their friends as usual, and Yukino figured they were the last ones to awake since nobody was yawning or acting half-asleep. Spotting Natsu, they both eagerly approached his table, where he was watching Wendy try to perform some intricate trick with her magic for him but ended up tripping over her own feet and hitting the wooden floor with a loud _thud_.

Inbetween tears of laughter, he called out,

"You alright, Wendy?"

"Y-yes, Onii-chan..." she said, her head spinning as she lay on the floor in a daze.

"Natsu-sama!"

"Onii-chan!"

Natsu spun his head around to see his wife and sister approach him as he waved at the two.

"Hey, Yu-chan, Alexia. Sleep well?" he asked.

Yukino merely nodded, but Alexia smirked and leaned in very close next to Natsu's ear, practically point blank next to his face and whispered,

"Anyone can sleep well cuddled up next to you, Onii-chan."

Upon hearing this, he went red in the face and fell back in his chair, hitting the ground as Alexia doubled over laughing.

"Wow, you really are too easy to tease, Onii-chan!" she said, wiping away her tears of laughter and clutching her stomach.

"D-don't say things like that out of nowhere!" Natsu stammered, his face red and feeling uncomfortable as he picked himself up off the ground.

"Does it bother you, _Oniiiii-chaaaan?_" she said in a singsong voice.

"Yeah, it does! It's bad enough that you crawled into my be-" Natsu began, as Alexia covered his mouth with her hand and whispered,

"Be careful, Onii-chan, it might be wise not to say things like that around all the other guild members." she said with a giggle.

"Y-yeah you're right, I don't know what I was thinking." he replied as she removed her hand from his mouth.

Kissing him on the cheek, she said,

"Silly Onii-chan, I forgive you."

"His harem grows larger every day, I swear." Gray said across the room to his friends before Natsu promptly threw a ball of fire at him which knocked his head against the wall.

"Keep your comments to yourself, Gray!" Natsu shouted as he turned back around to face his wife and sister.

"So, Yu-chan, have you been feeling alright? With the pregnancy?" Natsu asked her.

"Yes, Natsu-sama, I haven't been getting morning sickness for whatever reason." she replied.

"That's good, make sure to see Wendy about it if you feel uncomfortable." he said sternly.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl, Onii-chan?" Alexia asked.

"We've no idea, Alexia, I want it to be a surprise." Natsu said.

"Ooh, I hope it's a girl! Having a niece would be so cool!" she exclaimed.

"Having a nephew isn't cool?" Yukino asked her.

"Not necessarily." Alexia replied. "But I think it would be super cool to have my own niece."

"You might get both, Alexia. It's expected that Yu-chan will have twins or even triplets." Natsu said.

"Wow, that's amazing! You two are so lucky." Alexia said. "I want to have children some day."

"I'm sure there's someone out there for you, Alexia-san." Yukino said.

"Only if I approve of him, my sister isn't going to marry some degenerate." Natsu said, arms crossed.

"That's sweet of you, Onii-chan, but I doubt that there's anyone out there for me." she said with a sad expression.

"Nonsense, there has to be someone suitable for a girl like you, I don't deserve Yu-chan but look at us now." Natsu said.

Whacking him upside the head, Yukino said,

"Dummy, of course you deserve me! Who was the one that told me to stop putting myself down all the time?" she questioned.

"Me..." he muttered.

"That's right, so practice what you preach. I'm sure someone will come around, Alexia-san." Yukino said.

"I hope so too, Yukino. So, Onii-chan, do you have any idea of what the second day of the Games has in store for us?" Alexia asked her brother.

"No idea, not even the Masters get a hint at what's coming, so you kind of just wing it when everyone gets there." Natsu said.

"Isn't it about time to get going soon, anyways?" Yukino said.

"You're right, Yu-chan! Everyone, let's get going!" Natsu shouted as the guild piled out the door to the inn and out into the crowded street. Attempting to traverse the crowded streets of Crocus proved fruitless to the guild, who was stuck all the way at the back of the mass of civilians.

"Jeez, all these people are making it impossible to get to the arena... Wait, I have an idea!" Natsu shouted to his friends as he took a stance and breathed in deeply.

Clapping his hands together above his head, the sky began to darken as clouds encircled the town and the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. Suddenly, a downpour of rain began to fall from the sky everywhere except onto Fairy Tail as the civilians scurried to the sidewalks for cover. Now that the sidewalk was clear, Natsu beckoned for the guild to follow him down the road as they ran to the arena while being covered by their dry spot of land, which followed them overhead.

"Only Natsu could come up with something like this." Erza said with a smirk as they ran down the road.

"That's why I'm the Master!" Natsu shouted back as he and Alexia raced to be the first ones to the arena.

"Hey, wait for us!" Lucy shouted, as their dry spot moved with Natsu's position, so the guild had to sprint to keep up with the tiny rain-free zone.

After a couple minutes of running at a breakneck pace, the group finally reached the arena, which was overflowing with civilians. After being ushered into their seperate line, they decided to explore the stadium for a little bit, since they were even earlier than they expected. Checking out the concession stands and other merchandise, they investigated one stand of all-Fairy Tail merchandise that caught their eyes. Anything Fairy Tail related, this vendor had it: figures, apparel, bags, they even had a replica of Natsu's scarf. Alexia decided to buy one for her and Wendy, since she was eyeing it so fiercely, and they spent the rest of the down time chanting:

"Look at us, Oniiiii-chan!"

which drove him so crazy his eye was twitching by the time they sat down in their seats. As Alexia was about to repeat her chant for the millionth time, complete with her own Virgo-like jig that she invented just to annoy him, he snatched the scarf off of her neck and held it in the air.

"No fair, give it back! Onii-chan, give it back!" she whined, hopping up and down.

"Why should I give it back?" he asked, his eye twitching.

"Fine, if you won't give me that scarf, I'll take this one." she said, pulling his real scarf off of his neck and around her own. Realising what she was doing, he snatched it back from her and returned her replica, saying,

"If I hear one more word out of you or if you do that stupid dance one more time, I'm kicking you out of the guild." he said begrudgingly.

"Yay, Onii-chan isn't a meanie after all!" she shouted, standing on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek.

"D-Don't do that in public!" he shouted, sounding embarrassed.

"I'm not making any promises!" she said cheerily as she went back to playing with Wendy.

Natsu sighed as he looked off at the empty arena and nearly full stadium, idly sniffing the air when a strange scent caught his attention. The smell was... difficult to put into words, the best way he could describe it was like a scent that was once pure and clean, now tainted and dirty. Kind of like a white carpet that's been covered in mud, but it carried an odd sense of dread in the air whenever it hit his nostrils. Trying to find the source of such a scent was almost impossible in such a crowded arena, so he didn't bother trying to pinpoint it's location.

"Do you smell that, Yu-chan?" Natsu asked, turning to face his wife. As she sniffed at the air for a moment, she too nodded her head.

"It's gross, but not like anything I've smelled before. It's almost malevolent, if such a feeling has a scent." she said solemnly.

"Wendy, Alexia, Gajeel, Levy, Erik, Rin, do you all smell that?" Natsu asked, addressing the guild's Dragon Slayers. They all smelled the air and had similar reactions, Rin saying,

"It's this weird, dirty and evil smell. It's giving me goosebumps. What is that, Master?"

"I don't know, but I need to find out. I'm going to use a thought projection to explore, I'll be back soon." Natsu said, halving his power and producing a Mavis-like form that was visible only to Fairy Tail members.

"Two Onii-chans! One for me and one for a Wendy!" Alexia shouted as Wendy clapped her hands in delight.

"Alexia, focus on the task at hand! Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious, and don't do anything weird to my body, I can't control myself right now." he said in a serious tone.

"Okay, okay, jeez." she replied.

Mavis had taught him to use the Astral Projection magic that she used while she was trapped inside the crystal, and while he didn't enjoy using it, it was invaluable for scouting an area or eavesdropping on someone. Gliding across the arena like the graceful ghost that he was, he followed the direction the scent seemed to be originating from to the far left side of the arena. His eyes widening at what seemed to be the source, he noticed that it was... Sabertooth? Coming closer to their box seats, he pretty much confirmed they were the source of the awful scent, so much that he had to consciously avoid breathing through his nose so that he wouldn't gag from the awful stench. Landing next to Sting, Natsu eyed him curiously. Since his vision was blurred, **(Quick little A.N here: Natsu's vision in his Astral Projection is blurred in a similar fashion to when Frodo or Bilbo wears the Ring in LOTR, if you've seen the movies)** it was a little difficult to make out who was who but Sting's blond hair was not hard to pick out of a crowd.

"Sting," Rogue began, approaching from behind Sting and standing in the same spot Natsu was and passing through him like a ghost, "are you feeling alright? You've been acting distant all morning, and you smell a little..." he said trailing off, clenching his nose.

"What do you mean?! I feel fine! Ecstatic, actually! I'm itching to rough something up, my whole body is shaking in anticipation!" he said in a borderline maniacal tone.

"But, you're the Master, you can't..." Rogue said, stepping back.

"I have a _very good feeling _that one of the matches this tournament will involve a Master of each guild, Rogue, I made sure that such an event... _goes underway._" Sting said, licking his lips.

"Did you... pay off the officials? Sting, you can't do things like tha-" Rogue said, as Sting clamped a hand over his mouth at lightning speed.

"One way or the other, Natsu-san and I will settle things this time around, and the outcome of our match will be _far different_, I assure you. You wouldn't think of snitching on your friend now, would you, Rogue?" he asked in a very scary tone, and Natsu noticed Rogue shaking a little.

"N-No, Sting, I would never." Rogue replied.

"Great! Well, sit back and enjoy the show, then, I'm sure the rest of the GMG should be interesting enough." Sting said, turning away from Rogue to face the arena. Rogue had a concerned but fearful look on his face, and turned to leave the box seats and be on his own. Sting, who suddenly made a surprised sounding yelp, turned around in a flash and Natsu could swear that he was looking directly at him.

_He can't see me, only those in Fairy Tail can- _Natsu thought, but his thoughts were brutally interrupted as Sting reached his arm out and took Natsu by the throat, holding him up in the air with one hand. Struggling to break free from his grip, Natsu's mind raced in fear. _H-How did he do that? You can't touch an Astral Projection in a physical form! _

"Oh, you must be wondering how I'm touching you now, aren't you, Natsu-san?" Sting said. Natsu said nothing and continued to struggle, but Sting's grip was that of iron.

"Well, you are right, Astral Bodies can't be touched by anything in the physical world, but this body is actually an Astral Projection as well. My real body is elsewhere, biding it's time and storing power for the inevitable match between you and I, which I'm sure you're aware of now." he said, laughing maniacally to himself.

"Wh-What are you... p-planning?" Natsu choked out.

"I'm not planning a thing, Natsu-san, just preparing for our rematch is all. A rematch that will settle the score once and for all, a fight... to the death." Sting said with an insane look in his eye.

"Don't be... stupid, as if I would... fight you again..." Natsu said, his "astral oxygen" running low as he felt his lungs burn.

"Oh, but you will, Natsu-san. Otherwise, I can do _nasty _things to all of your friends and family, all thanks to _THIS!_" he shouted as he pulled out a small, glowing white lacrima that gave off an odd sensation of power.

"The White Dragon Lacrima! All of Vicelogia's power, stored inside a tiny glass ball, ripe for the picking by yours truly! Should you refuse, I'll destroy your whole guild, everything you love in the whole world! You'll watch it all burn to the ground, unable to do a thing! I'll save three of them for last, Yukino, Wendy and what was her name... Alexia? I'll enjoy taking all of them right before your very eye-" Sting said, before getting kneed in the stomach and uppercutted directly in the jaw by Natsu, who had found new strength from his taunting.

"If it's a fight to the death that you desire, then you'll get what you asked for. Your head will become another one of my trophies, Sting. Enjoy your newfound strength while you can." Natsu said with a burning hatred in his eye as he cut off his Astral Projection and returned to his own body.

"Oh look, Onii-chan is waking up!" Wendy said as she knelt down in front of Natsu's body, which was propped up against the wall. Even as he stirred, Natsu did not open his eyes, and Wendy was beginning to worry when she felt his body get extremely hot, so much that she had to let go of his arm to avoid getting burned.

"O-Onii-chan?" she asked nervously, as his eyes shot open at the sound of her voice, revealing the same dark pools with the red dot in the centre that had haunted her dreams weeks ago when he had used his Chaos Dragon Slaying magic. Falling backwards and screaming at the top of her lungs, the rest of the guild spun around and witnessed the dark look in his eyes, just as Wendy had moments ago.

"N-Natsu!" Lucy called, tearing up at the sight of her friend's horrific eyes.

"W-What's wrong with him?" Erza shouted, trembling.

"I'll... kill him..." Natsu muttered.

"O-Onii-chan?" Alexia stammered, shaking in fear.

"I'LL KILL HIM! TEAR HIS THROAT OUT! EAT HIS HEART!" Natsu screamed in the same demonic tone as before as he leapt up like a wild animal and attempted to pounce out of the corner, but all his friends tackled him to the ground, holding him with all their might.

"Snap out of it, Natsu!" Gajeel shouted, as Natsu swiped him with his now-clawed hand, leaving long scratch marks down his cheek.

He emanated the same dirty black and red aura as the Chaos Dragon Slaying magic looked like, sending shivers down the guild members' spines as they tried to pin their Master to the ground. Gray had the idea to freeze both his hands with his Ice Make magic, but it seemed he picked the wrong place to stand, because Natsu whipped him with his newly grown tail with such a force that he cracked the cement wall on the side of the box seats with his face. As Juvia rushed over to check on Gray, Natsu opened his mouth to let out a _Roar of the Chaos Dragon, _but before he could do so, he was promptly slugged in the stomach by Erza as he grunted in pain. _  
><em>

"Get a hold of yourself! Look at what you're doing to your friends!" Erza shouted, pointing at Gray, who laid unconcious and was slumped against the wall, and Gajeel, who had long and bloody claw marks down his face. Erza was hopeful for a moment, it looked like the soft and onyx coloured pools that she knew so well had returned to his sockets, but she was met instead by a much tinier and quicker charged _Chaos Dragon's Vengeance _which hit her almost instantly when he opened his mouth, sending her crashing into the wall with a _crack. _

As Natsu threw the rest of the guild off of his back with little effort, he bolted towards the exit to their seats, which was suddenly blocked by Yukino, who outstretched her arms in front of the doorway.

"Move." he hissed, not wanting to hurt his mate, no matter how destructive his impulses were.

She stepped forward, putting her small hand on his cheek, sending a shiver through his spine and causing his tail to wag a little. Even in his current form, the caressing touch of his wife calmed the fiercest of waters in his heart, and he purred slightly as she appeared to be taming the beast within him. Unexpectedly and extremely swiftly, she brought her fist down on his skull like a hammer, ignited by her magic and making a sickening _crack _as it connected with his skull. Natsu fell to the ground in extreme pain, falling to his knees as Yukino relentlessly kicked him in the stomach again and again.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU STUPID ANIMAL! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?! WHY DO YOU DO SUCH FERAL AND SICKENING THINGS TO YOUR FRIENDS AND YOUR FAMILY?! ARE YOU THAT WEAK MINDED THAT YOU GIVE INTO TEMPTATION SO EASILY! YOU'RE PATHETIC!" she screamed at him, tears stinging her eyes as she mercilessly beat her husband again and again and again, as Natsu began to cough up blood from the stomach injury he was clearly receiving.

"YUKINO, STOP IT! DON'T HURT HIM!" Alexia screamed as she was helpless to do anything but watch her brother getting relentlessly punished by his wife.

"Please..." he choked out from the ground, blood coating his lips as he lay helpless on the ground, his cold and dark eyes watering from tears.

"HOW DARE YOU BEG FOR MERCY, AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE!" she screamed back, about to deliver one last kick when she stopped midway.

"That's enough, Yukino." Mavis said, appearing between the two. She wore not her usual joyous smile, but her stoic and almost displeased expression that froze her dead in her tracks.

"F-First Master..." she stammered, as Mavis stood over Natsu's body with her petite arms stretched out, as if to defend him from harm.

"Yukino, why do you deliver such hateful blows to your husband, the man you supposedly love with all of your heart? Can you not clearly see he isn't in his right mind, lest he wouldn't be doing such terrible things? It's your job as his wife to nurse him through these tough times, through sickness and in health, and I've never seen something that has displeased me so much in my whole existence. Take a good look at your guildmates, the rest of your family. Do they look approving of your actions?" Mavis said solemnly, pointing to the guild.

Yukino turned to face her friends, who all wore horrified and sad expressions. Lucy and Alexia were bawling their eyes out, Wendy trembled behind Gray's back, whose face also flowed with a bounty of tears in pain for his best friend. Not one member present looked as though they condoned the beating their Master had gone through, all simply stared in disbelief and utter sadness.

"I..." Yukino began, but Mavis continued.

"It is an ancient rule of combat and an unspoken rule in battle: never kick your opponent when they are down, especially not if you once called that person 'friend.' Would one blow to bring him to his senses not suffice? Look at your husband, the father of your child. Go on." she said, stepping aside to reveal what Yukino had not seen in her fit of rage. Her husband, no longer possessed by malice or anger, lay half-dead on the ground, blood dripping from his mouth as he just sobbed and covered his face with his arms.

"I... I'm..." she began, tears streaming down her face, but once again, she was given no chance to finish her sentence.

"It is clear to me that your objective was not to return Natsu to his senses, but rather to release all your pent up frustration with his actions as of late. I am always nearby and watching whenever any member of our guild is at the guild hall, and I have a theory, which I've calculated to be almost definite. Not only are you frustrated at Natsu losing control again, but you believe that he hasn't been giving you the attention you feel you deserve as his wife. You're jealous of his interactions with Wendy, Alexia, Lucy and Erza, and your instincts constantly tell you that you need to assert your dominance, to let everyone know that he belonged to you and only you. Instead of acting mature and talking to him about it, you chose to indirectly beat it into him, using your opportunity moments ago as a means of venting your anger. Am I wrong?" Mavis asked.

_I... I never thought of it like that, _she thought.

"... Yes, that's... right." she said quietly, eyeing the ground. Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she fell to her knees, propping herself up with her arms as the tears that stung her eyes fell onto the cold, stone ground of the stadium.

"I've... been so horrible to him. I really don't... deserve such a man in my life." she said, fumbling for her ring finger and sliding her precious wedding ring off of her hand and letting it fall to the ground.

"Yu...-chan..." she heard Natsu call to her from the ground. Crawling over to him, she held his hand in hers and put her ear to his mouth.

"W-W-What is it, Natsu-sama?" she said with a shaky voice.

He pointed at the ring, which still lay on the ground a few feet away from the two. She quickly crawled over and grabbed it and returned to his side, giving him the ring.

"Open... your hand..." he whispered. She did as he told her, and cupped her hands together as he weakly placed the ring inside of her hands and closed them, giving a small chuckle and grinning.

"Hold onto that... for me." he said, taking his last shaky breath as his head hit the stone floor, the thump echoing across the stadium, which had been dead silent and was watching them the entire time.

"N-N-Natsu-sama...?" she questioned, giving him a small shake. "Wh-Wh-Why won't you..." she said, her voice trailing off.

"N-Natsu?" Lucy said, her lip quivering.

"H-Hey, wake up already..." Gray said, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"O-O-Onii..." Wendy began, clasping her mouth against her mouth in shock. Alexia, who hadn't said a word, slowly stepped down to their level and knelt over her brother's body.

"H-Hey, Abel, come on, wake up already... We just found each other again... you can't go to sleep now." she said, her voice shaking. Her gaze reaching his face, she could see the faint outline of his smile, permanently etched into his face, his last emotion that he experienced before he passed on.

"AAAABEEELLLLLLLL!" she screamed, burying her head in his body.

**Some time later... **

Natsu awoke to find himself inside of a large, roomy castle made of dark stone with large statues of dragons perched like gargoyles at the top of each column. If this place had a throne room, he guessed this would've been it, as the room was etched in beautiful accents of gold and jewels, which shone brightly as the sun seemed to beat down onto them from a stained glass window.

"Oh, so you've finally arrived." a man's voice said, and Natsu turned around to see an older man, with spiky white hair and a greying beard. His face looked so familiar, but Natsu could almost put his finger on it...

"Dad?" he asked, uncertain of himself.

"I'm so glad you recognise me, son. I didn't know when the next time I would see you would be, it's unfortunate it had to be so soon." he said, walking over to him and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Am I... dead, then? Is this... Heaven?" he asked.

"Not quite, son, not quite." his father said, turning to face the stained glass mosaic that was hung above the throne he guessed his father would've sat on. The mosaic was beautiful, a stained glass painting of a person battling a dragon, bending the fire to his will as the dragon roared at him.

"Well then, where am I?" he asked.

"That's a good question, my boy. Where. Are. You? I like to think of it as... a crossroads of some sort. The road that joins three paths. It's up to you which one you should choose." his father said.

"What do you mean, 'crossroads?' What am I even choosing?" Natsu asked, confused.

"Well, come have a seat, Abel, and I'll tell you all about it." he said, patting a wooden bench that sat in the middle of the room which Natsu was almost certain wasn't there when he arrived. Somewhat reluctantly, he took a seat next to his father as he waved his hand in front of him, three doorways appear in front of him, the throne being replaced with the middle doorway, each which glowed a bright white light.

"Let's talk about your first option. You have a chance to start anew, to change your life as you know it, a second chance if you will. This doorway will take you back before the first Grand Magic Games occurred a year ago, right before you met your wife and invited her to join your guild. You can take this path, and completely change your life for the past year. You can leave your wife to join Sabertooth, and you would never get married. You can have Lucy... Erza... anyone that you would rather be with. It's a chance to start fresh, to correct any mistakes you might have made in your time with Yukino and to find new love, should you choose to do so." his father said.

"I can... really do something like that?" Natsu asked in disbelief, to which his father nodded.

"It's surprising, I know, to think you could do so much with a simple yes or no question. Imagine how drastic the changes could be, no?" his father said.

"W-What's option two?" Natsu asked, his voice quivering.

"Ah, option two. Another interesting one. Well, with this doorway, it will take you back to the land of the living, no questions asked. Right now, you're in a coma-like state, your wife hasn't killed you but you're in critical condition, and all that could change should you choose to return to the present instead of changing the past. Take a look at the future of your guild, Abel." his father said, as the portal/doorway changed to show a scene that appeared to be his funeral. All of his friends were in attendance, dressed in black with solemn looks on their faces. Rain beat down on the cemetery, and only one person stood without an umbrella: his sister, Alexia. She held a bouquet of red roses, which she placed gently on his grave, which read: 'Natsu Dragneel: Master, Father, Leader.' Although her friends couldn't see it, Lucy stood standing in the back of the group, letting the rain drench her blonde hair as she stared at the ground. She held out her hand, examining her pink guild mark and rubbing it gently with her thumb.

"Even if you're gone, Natsu..." she started, tears hitting her pink Fairy Tail mark, "I still carry this piece of you with me, forever."

"Lucy..." he whispered, reaching his arm out from his sitting position as if trying to grab her hand, to tell her that he was going to be okay, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. His father, who tightened his grip on Natsu's shoulder, looked at him and tried to find words, but couldn't.

"What... What's the last option?" Natsu asked quietly.

"You move on. To the next life." his father said simply.

"By myself?" he asked.

"No, all your friends will be with you. Thus is the nature of the afterlife, the years we spend apart seem only like seconds when we're reunited in paradise." his father said with a smile.

"Then, Yu-chan will be there too? And my... child?" Natsu asked.

"That all depends, my son. You still have the opportunity to change your past, which would change your future in the afterlife as well. If you're perfectly content with your life as it is, by all means, pick the third option, but I think we both know your time on the plane of Earthland isn't over yet, now is it?" his father asked him.

Natsu shook his head, and stared back at the first door, and then the second.

"I... don't know what to do, Dad. I really don't." he said. His father patted him on the back, and tussled his hair affectionately.

"No matter what you choose, Abel, I'm as proud as any father can be of what you've made of your life. Nothing will change that, no matter what. These three doors are for you to choose your future in your own interest, not for anybody else. For once in your life, my son, choose what will make _you _happy." his father said.

"What makes... me happy..." he repeated to himself, letting his memories flood into his mind.

_"Look, Natsu, I got my Fairy Tail guild mark!" _

_"It's always more fun when we're together!" _

_"We were... going to get married..." _

Natsu felt himself tearing up at the sudden barrage of emotions he was assaulted with, and grit his teeth. _But, what about Yukino?! _he thought. _She's my wife, she's pregnant with my child... _

"Son, love isn't a straightforward thing, nor is it something that stays the same. Love is always changing, always reshaping itself and taking new form. It's like a wild blaze that can't be put out, so you let it rage and rage until it consumes you completely. I don't doubt for a moment that you love your wife, but can you return to her with the memory of this day, and look at her in the same light? Can your friends and your guild do the same?" his father asked, to which Natsu didn't reply.

_"I-I-I _loved_ you, Natsu...I-I ne-never could admit it, b-but I always l-loved you." _

The sound of his best friend's voice in his head made his knees go weak, and he would have collapsed had he not been sitting on the bench.

"I keep the memories of this day and the alternate future with me, even if I choose to go back in time, Dad?" he asked.

"Indeed you do, son." his father replied.

"Then... when Lucy said that she couldn't admit it, but she always loved me... I'll remember that too?" he asked nervously.

"Aye." his father said.

Natsu just sat there and sobbed uncontrollably, overwhelmed by such developments as his father let him lean his head on his shoulder and just cry.

"You're such a strong young man, Abel. You're a truly kind person, and I hate to see you put in such a tough place." his father said.

"I... I just want everyone to be h-happy, Dad." he choked out.

"I know you do, son. I wish you could, but sometimes, not everyone can have their way. It's just a part of life, one of the many things that plagues the kind men and women of the world, the inability to put a smile on every single face. I've been watching you and your sister for a long time now, and you've come a long way in this world. Should you choose the first doorway, ask yourself this: Who's the one that's been there for you, even when you're at your worst? The one that would hate to see you upset the most? The woman that drives you crazy when she walks in the room, and the one you'd do anything for to keep her from crying? That's what I think true love is." his father said.

Pondering this for a moment, Natsu abruptly stood up.

"Have you made your decision?" his father asked. Natsu nodded, and walked towards the first doorway, turning before stepping in to say,

"I've got to protect the future!" with his famous grin on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! If you've been reading the story from start to finish, thank you so much for sticking with me for this long. I'll have an extra long A.N at the end of the chapter, so be sure to read that because it addresses a complaint that I fine really annoying. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10: My Only Sunshine**

Natsu might as well have blinked when he entered the first doorway, as he found himself once again at the after party to the GMG exactly one year ago. Examining the room, it looked so familiar it was making his head spin from déjà vu. Feeling his neck for the familiar mating mark that radiated heat, he found nothing but his tanned skin.

_So, it really did work,_ he thought.

Looking around the room in a daze, he spotted all the members of his guild, who he simply stared at when they waved at him.

"Natsu!" he heard a voice from behind him call, and he spun around to see his friend Lucy walking up to him with a smile on her face.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted, rushing her and grabbing her hand and bringing it up to his eyes. Sure enough, her familiar pink Fairy Tail guild mark was still etched into her hand, and he sighed in relief.

"Thank God…" he said.

"Natsu, what's gotten into you? Have you been drinking hot sauce and vodka again? You know that makes you hallucinate." Lucy said, wagging her finger at him.

"Where's Yukino?!" he shouted, hastily scanning the room for his… well, he guessed she wasn't his wife anymore.

"She's over by Sting, it looks like she's coming over here now." Lucy said, pointing at the silver-haired Celestial Mage who slowly approached the pair.

"H-hello, Natsu-sama." she said quietly.

"Hey, Yu-cha- I mean, Yukino." he said, his ears drooping as he looked at the floor.

"If it's not too much trouble, I was going to ask if I could…" she said, and he finished her sentence.

"… join Fairy Tail?" he said, and she nodded.

Looking across the room at Sting, who wore an angry look on his face, Natsu sighed and put a hand on Yukino's shoulder.

"Look, Yukino…" he started, remembering how cruel and evil Sting had become when she joined his guild after the GMG, "I appreciate that you want to join our guild, really, I do. However, I think that after everything Saber has been through, they need you now more than ever. It wouldn't make sense if I told you why, but I know that Sting cares for you a lot more than he tells you, so if I were you, I would reconsider his offer." Natsu said.

"How did you know he offered me a spot in Saber again?" Yukino asked him.

"I'm from the future." he said nonchalantly, causing both Lucy and Yukino to laugh heartily.

"Yeah, _sure_ you are. But are you sure this is a good idea, Natsu-sama?" she asked him.

"I'm positive. Now, go back to him, I'm sure he'll be delighted to know you've changed your mind." Natsu said, as she nodded with a smile and returned to her friend. Sting looked shocked at what he was hearing, and she must have mentioned him, because Sting looked up and across the room to him and flashed him a big smile that Natsu hadn't seen in what felt like a very long time.

"Are you sure that was right thing to do, Natsu? It looked like she really wanted to join Fairy Tail." Lucy said.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Lucy?" Natsu said, turning to face her.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"Will you dance with me?" he asked, bowing and extending his hand.

"Wh-What?! Really?" she asked, her face turning red.

"There's nothing more I'd rather do in the world at this moment." he said poetically, his hand still outstretched.

"Well, if you insist…" she said, reluctantly taking his hand as he hurriedly dragged her to the dance floor. Dancing to the slow song the orchestra was playing, Natsu looked deeply into her eyes, looking for something to assure him that this wasn't a dream or some fantasy. Running a finger through her silky smooth blonde hair, she shuddered slightly at his touch.

"What's gotten into you tonight, Natsu…" she whispered, hiding her face in his chest so he wouldn't see her blushing.

"Luce, if I told you something crazy, no matter how ridiculous it was, would you believe me if I was dead serious?" he asked her.

"I… I think so." she replied.

"Well, the truth is… it's hard to put into words. The best way I could describe it is that I've been living in a sort of "alternate future" for the past year after tonight. In that future, Yukino _does_ join our guild, and we get married and have a child. I become the guild master, I find a sister that I never knew that I had, and I…" he said, his voice trailing off.

"What is it, Natsu?" she said, sounding worried.

"I die." he said bluntly.

"You… you what?" she said, in disbelief at what she was hearing from her friend's mouth.

"Yeah, I die. When I died, I went to some sort of purgatory, where I met my real father. He gave me three choices, to return to the past, return to the present with Yukino or to move on to the next life. You can probably imagine which one I chose." Natsu said, looking at her with a soft look in his eyes.

"B-But… what about the present? Why come back to the past?" she asked.

"Hmm. You know, Luce, a wise man once told me that love is not such a straightforward thing, that it's always changing and taking new form. A fire that burned brightly one day might be nothing but embers and coals the next. Even if your future might seem bright in the present, you can't predict the next rainfall that might threaten to extinguish your tiny little flame. What I'm trying to say is… I came back for you." he said, flashing his almost invisible smile.

Lucy didn't say anything but just stared at him, her mouth hanging open and trying to take in his words. Natsu continued,

"It took marrying Yukino and all that I've been through the past year to realise fully what I had left behind. Do I still love her? I do, but like I said earlier, even when your fire has burned all it was meant to, the coals still remain. It was after all I had done together with you that I realised that I couldn't go back to that future. Do you know what you said to me that made me do what I did, Lucy?" he asked, to which she shook her head.

"I've always loved you." he said, uttering the four words that took her breath away.

"I… said that?" she whispered.

"Indeed. What do you make of that, Lucy?" he asked her.

"I… I don't know what…" she said, her voice trailing off as she stared at the floor.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way you did at that moment, Luce. If you don't mind, I'd like to say something to you as well before I leave." Natsu said.

"Leave?... Where are you going?" she asked, tears stinging her eyes.

"That depends. Will you hear me out?" he said.

"Y-yes." she muttered.

"_I… love you too._" he said, kissing her on her forehead. Turning around to leave, he walked out of the large wooden doors at the entrance to the hall and out into the cool, crisp night time.

_Glad I got that off my chest,_ he thought as he walked down the streets of Crocus. _I think I'll just disappear for a while._

"Naaaatsuuuu!" he heard, a voice faintly calling his name from the castle.

"Please, come back! I can't live without you! Don't… don't leave me behind." Lucy called, falling to her knees and sobbing into her hands.

Stopping mid-stride, he turned around and headed back for the castle. All kinds of thoughts flooded his mind as he approached the blonde woman, stopping a few feet away from her with his hands still in his pockets.

"Do you… really mean all that?" he asked.

"I d-do. I… I love you, Natsu. I always have, and always will." she said, her voice unfaltering.

"Well, I guess I can't leave you behind after all," he said with a grin, "I promise to stay, if you play one last game with me!"

"Th-this isn't the time for games, Natsu! I just confessed my love for you!" she shouted, tears still streaming down her face.

"It's a game only two people that love each other can play." he said boyishly.

"Ugh, fine." she said, throwing her hands up. Natsu walked over and picked her up off the ground, taking her hand and leading her back into the castle. All eyes were on them, and everyone waited to see what the pair would do next. Taking her to the middle of the room, all guilds looked at them with watchful eyes as Natsu and Lucy stood a few feet apart. Natsu, holding his hands behind his back, asked her,

"Lucy, what have I got… in my pocket?"

"Wait, what? What kind of game is this?!" she asked angrily.

"You said you would play." he pouted, and she crossed her arms and sighed.

"I don't know… hot sauce? Food? Your wallet? Your hands?!" she asked, thinking she had guessed it when he held up both his hands to show that it wasn't that.

"Any other ideas?" he asked, and she shook her head.

The memory of his previous life flashing before his eyes, he remembered his final words to his wife, and felt around in his pocket for the familiar object that he had taken such care in making.

"Why don't you see for yourself?" he said with a snicker as he walked over to her and removed the golden ring he had given Yukino, taking her hand and sliding it onto her finger. He stood back for a moment, letting all of what had just happened sink in to her. Eyeing the ring, she examined the beautiful golden ring with the mouth of a dragon holding a red jewel, she noticed a new inscription burned all around the ring's outer circle that read: "Protect the Future."

"Oh my God, Natsu… Is this really…" she said, her voice trailing off as she put her other hand over her mouth.

"I returned to the past to protect your future, Lucy. Marry me?" he asked her.

"Natsu… Yes, yes yes!" she shouted, jumping into his arms as the room erupted in cheers and applause. Wrapping her legs around him, they shared a passionate kiss, Lucy running her fingers through his pink locks as their tongues wrestled for dominance. The crowd hooted and hollered at the two, as Yukino smiled on at him.

_Natsu-sama…_ she thought, _I remember the future too. I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'll miss you, and all of our friends too._

Natsu closed his eyes, savouring the soft feeling of his fiancée's lips as his name was called repeatedly from the back of his head, and he felt the world around him melting before him.

**"Abel, Abel, Abel!"**

"Huh… what… where?" he said, opening his eyes slowly as his sister Alexia shook him furiously.

"EVERYONE! HE'S WAKING UP!" she screamed, her voice was hoarse and her eyes looked puffy as if she'd been crying. All his friends flooded into the room, concerned looks on their faces as he tried to make sense of what was going on.

"A-Alexia?" he choked out, as his sister held his hand in a death grip.

"I'm here, Onii-chan, I'm right here." she said, tears of joy streaming down her face.

"But… I didn't choose the second door… I- where's Lucy?" he asked, scanning the room. From the back of the crowd, Lucy made her way to his bedside, her eyes red and puffy like his sister as she shook like a leaf.

"Lucy…" he began, looking down at her hand, "where's your… ring?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked.

"I… I proposed to you, just a minute ago. We were going to… get married. Did that… was that just a dream? I met my father, and…" he said, but his voice was scratchy and weak and his head was still spinning.

"You saw Dad?" his sister asked.

"Yeah, yeah I did. Then, I went back in time to the first GMG… and then Lucy and I…" he said, his voice failing him as he burst into tears.

"Why, God, why… is this some kind of punishment…" he whispered to himself.

"Natsu, what are you talking about…" Lucy said, starting to cry too.

"Lucy, I… I… love you…" he said, his consciousness fading as his head hit the pillow.

**Some Time Later…**

"… he's got severe head trauma, along with the bad internal bleeding and broken ribs, it really is a miracle that he survived, you know." he heard a familiar old woman voice say.

"I- I know. Thank you for looking after my husband, Porlyusica-san." Yukino said.

"It's no trouble at all. I'll leave you two by yourselves." Porlyusica said, and Natsu heard a door open and shut.

He had not the strength to even open his eyes, so he simply laid there and used his other senses to take in his surroundings. Feeling her hand on his chest, she traced his abs with her finger as she sobbed softly.

"Yukino…" he muttered.

"Natsu-sama! I'm so glad that you're…" she said, her voice failing her as he really wasn't that alright.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked.

"Probably a lot better than you." she said.

"I've gotten through worse." he said solemnly.

"Natsu-sama, I'm going to… talk for a while, and I would appreciate if you just lay there and listened." Yukino said sadly, and he nodded.

"Mavis-san is right. What I did to you is horrible, and unforgivable. I practically killed my husband in a fit of rage, and that's going to haunt me for the rest of my time with you. By some miracle, you survived, and I'm so glad that I didn't tear your guild apart. Remember that book that we read, about dragon mating? It said that when two dragons mate, they share their life force, joining them as one. After hurting you so badly, I should have died too, but you came back to us somehow. The same can't be said for my life force, however." Yukino said, taking his hand and gripping it in her own. She was right, she felt weak and frail and he could tell that her heart was beating much slower than should be normal.

"I don't have much longer to live, Natsu-sama. When I nearly killed you, that severed our connection as mates, can't you feel it?" she said, and she was right once again. The normal sync of their heartbeat and breathing was off key, and he couldn't feel her presence like he used to be able to.

"You… can't die…" he choked out, tears pouring down his face as he gritted his teeth.

"It's okay, dear. The year I got to spend with you was worth a lifetime, and I won't forget your kindness to me. I'll never fade from your memories, or right here." Yukino whispered, putting her finger on his chest where his heart beat.

"No…" he started, but she silenced him with her finger.

"We'll see each other again, one day. You know that as well as I. I love you, Natsu." she said. Planting her last kiss on his cheek, he opened his eyes enough to see her glowing faintly as she burst into a cloud of dust that shimmered like stars across the night sky.

"W-Wait, don't go…" Natsu mumbled as he stretched his arm out and waved it through the shiny cloud of dust that lingered in the air as he felt something fall into his lap. His eyes trained on his lap, he saw the same ring that he had given to Lucy, with the engraving and everything. It was his last piece of his wife, before she disappeared into thin air.

"Yukino…" he said, putting his head down and the pillow and crying himself to sleep.

**The Next Morning**

Lucy rubbed her eyes as she descended the stairs to eat breakfast among her friends. She was surprised to see that Natsu was back at the inn, bandaged heavily but sitting down at a table with Gray and Erza.

"Natsu, you're all better!" she called, running to his side.

"Lucy, please give him some space." Erza said before she could hug him.

"Wh-why? What's the matter?" she asked.

"He hasn't said a word all morning, and nobody has seen Yukino since yesterday." Gray said.

Upon hearing her name, Natsu silently began to cry, tears streaming down his face while he made not a sound.

"Natsu…" Lucy said, concerned for her friend.

"Gone. She's… gone." they heard Natsu mutter.

"Like, she left? Did she…?" Gray asked, and Natsu shook his head.

"Not dead, just… gone. Poof." he said, making an exploding motion with his hands.

"She disappeared?" Lucy asked, and Natsu nodded.

"She said she didn't have much time left, and told me she loved me and just… poof. Gone." Natsu said, his voice quivering.

"Natsu, I'm so sorry." Lucy said, stepping forwards and pulling him into a tight embrace, stroking his head and sitting on his lap.

"Even if she might be gone, she'll always be with you right here. Those that we love live on in our hearts for the rest of our lives." Lucy said, poking his chest.

"Lucy is right, Natsu. We can drop out of the Games and return to Magnolia to give her a proper funeral." Erza said solemnly.

"No, we won't. She wouldn't want that, besides, I don't think I can say goodbye to her any more than once. Erza, you're the new Master, effective immediately. Should you choose to, you can hold her funeral back in Magnolia. I need to leave, and I won't be returning." Natsu said with a glazed look in his eyes.

"No, you are not running away!" Erza shouted, grabbing him by his shoulders.

"Try and stop me…" he mumbled.

"Natsu, seriously, don't say things like that! Nobody in the guild is going to let you walk away from your position as our Master! If you try anything, I'll beat some sense into you!" Gray said, grabbing him by his shirt.

"Go on then. Hit me." Natsu said lifelessly, turning his cheek to face Gray and tapping it with one finger.

"Natsu, please… don't go." Lucy said, looking up at him with her watery brown eyes that snapped him out of his trance for a moment.

"Lucy, I… I can't stay here." he said sadly.

"B-But what about w-what y-you said w-when you were in the h-hospital? You said you l-love me!" she exclaimed, cupping his cheek in her hand as she cried.

"It's because I love you that… I can't be near you." he replied.

"I-I know that you m-must be in pain, N-Natsu, but that's what f-friends are for. We help eachother w-when we're in need, and we o-overcome our problems t-together!" Lucy said between sobs.

"I'm sorry. I can't look my friends in the face anymore, not after all I've done." he said, removing her hand from his cheek.

"You've done nothing wrong!" Erza shouted, slamming her fist on the table.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" he roared, shaking the inn and making everyone's hair stand on end.

"IT'S MY FAULT THAT I LET MY ANGER GET THE BETTER OF ME! I FORCED HER TO BEAT ME, WHICH SEVERED OUR BOND AND KILLED HER! HOW CAN I LOOK MY FRIENDS, MY FAMILY IN THE EYE EVER AGAIN, KNOWING THAT I KILLED MY OWN WIFE AND CHILD?!" he screamed, radiating his dirty black and red aura from before.

The whole guild trembled in fear at his outburst, fearing for their own safety and backing into a corner, while Erza, Lucy and Gray stood mere feet away from him. Lucy, who didn't say anything, walked up to him and slapped him hard across the face, sobbing after doing so.

"HOW DARE YOU SAY SUCH HORRIBLE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF! YOU LOVED HER, YOU WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HURT HER OR YOUR CHILD! TO SAY THAT YOU WERE THE ONE THAT KILLED HER IS A DISGRACE TO HER MEMORY! SHE KILLED HERSELF!" Lucy screamed back, the last three words of her outburst echoing over and over again in Natsu's head.

_She killed herself. She killed herself. She killed herself. _

They reverberated in his ears in a constant loop as he fell to his knees and clutched his ears with his hands, trying to drown out the harmful effects of his own thoughts.

"No... I killed her..." he said, twitching on the ground.

Dropping to her own knees and putting both hands on his shoulders as he looked up to gaze into her eyes, she said,

"You know that's not true just as much as I do. What happened to her was an unfortunate accident, Natsu. She can't blame you for what happened." she cooed to him.

"She would never... I don't know why... She's _gone_, Lucy. She's gone." he said, his voice trembling as he rocked back and forth on the ground. Lucy sat down next to him, wrapping the man she loved in her arms, as he shook like a leaf while she held him close to her.

"I know, Natsu. You've been dealt the worst hand possible, and it makes me so sad. You mustn't despair, though, I think you know that's not what she would have wanted for you." she said.

"I can't go on living like this, Lucy... it feels like my heart has been shattered." Natsu murmured.

"It's going to be okay, Natsu. I'll help you look for the pieces, alright?" she said, looking him in the eye, as he nodded slightly in return.

"Lucy... why?" he said, looking directly at her.

"Why, what?" she asked.

"Why are you... saying these things? Why aren't you running away from me?" he asked her.

"Because you're my dragon, Natsu, and the dragon never hurts the princess." she said with a giggle. Natsu then did something that surprised even himself at the moment: he laughed, heartily and naturally.

"Yeah, I suppose not." he said, the last bits of his aura disappearing around him. Lucy stood up and offered him her hand, as he took it and she hoisted him to his feet.

"Do you want to go home with us, Natsu? We don't need to stay for the rest of the Games." Lucy said.

"I... no. We're staying until the end." Natsu said.

"What will you do afterwards?" Gray asked him.

"I'll..." he started, looking around at his guild, and lastly at Lucy, "I guess it doesn't make much sense to leave everyone behind, not after all we've been through. Are you all really still OK with calling me Master?" he asked, addressing his whole guild.

From the middle of the crowd, Mavis pushed her way out from the mass of people and worked her way over to Natsu, as he got down on one knee to look her in the eye.

"Natsu, you've been through countless tragedies in your short time here, as many of your friends have as well. Even if death is as natural as life is, the toll that those we love passing takes on us never gets any easier. Take a look at all your friends, and try to look at the bigger picture." she said, moving to the side and letting him see all of his friends and guildmates, not appearing scared of him anymore but just sad.

"Individually, we are all broken pieces of separate puzzles, but when we're all together as a family, we can make something even more beautiful. Thus is the bond of friendship, the bond of our guild, stronger than any blood relation. I'd be willing to bet there isn't a single member that wishes you to leave your guild, and if anyone thinks otherwise, come forward now." Mavis said, turning to address the crowd, but none of them stepped forward.

"You're a very kind man, Natsu. Some might view that as a weakness, because it makes you more susceptible to your emotions getting the better of your judgement, but I see that as a strength, not the latter. Being compassionate allows you to better understand the feelings of others, and it's the reason why our guild has such a strong sense of camaraderie and the feeling of a great big family. Your wife's passing is truly sad, but blaming yourself for her own actions isn't right, nor is it what she would want. Everyone here wants you to continue leading them, to bounce back from this tragedy even stronger than before. To leave them in the dust would be truly selfish, Natsu." she continued, putting her tiny hand on his shoulder.

"I know you're right, Mavis, it's just..." he replied, turning to look away from her and at the ground.

"Natsu," Gray began, and Natsu turned to look at his friend, "I know how you feel, really. When I lost Ur, I blamed myself for forcing her to use Iced Shell to protect me. I felt like I was the reason that she was gone, and subsequently, the reason that Lyon hated me and wasted many years of his life trying to avenge her. Even as I was prepared to throw down my own life, more than once, it was you that always stopped me, insisting that my life wasn't something I could part with so easily. It's times like these when we need to band together and remain strong, because this is when we're the most vulnerable to shattering like glass and our emotions and thoughts are easily swayed. I can't say I understand what it's like to lose a wife and child, but you're the strongest person that I know. If everyone else in our guild can overcome their sadness, so can you."

"Gray..." Natsu said, his voice trailing off.

"Onii-chan..." Alexia called to him, emerging from the crowd and approaching him, also getting on her knees to look him in the eye, "Gray isn't the only one who has felt horrible about losing those dear to him. When Dad died, I thought that our family would never be the same, but on that day that our kingdom was destroyed, I kept thinking 'As long as I have my brother and my cousins, it's going to be alright.' But I guess I never told you how we got separated in the first place, huh?" she said, and Natsu shook his head.

"Well, after the five of us had escaped into the forest, we made it into a clearing before four dragons landed before us, forming a circle around us in the clearing and trapping us in the centre."

***Flashback***

"Come on everyone, hurry!" Alexia called, motioning her brother and cousins to follow her into the grassy clearing. As they ran through the grassy plain, they heard the beating of wings and a large, scaly red dragon landed directly in front of the group, flanked by three others. One of them was a snowy white dragon, covered in bird-like feathers, another an ocean blue colour and the last one looked as though it was made completely of metal.

"What have we here? Survivors?" the red dragon said, his voice shaking the ground.

"They must be the last of their kingdom." the blue dragon replied.

"What are we waiting for? Let's finish what we started." the shiny metal dragon said, taking a step towards the group before the white dragon shouted,

"No, Metalicana! They're only children, have a heart!"

"They're humans, they'll grow up and try to kill us all anyways!" the dragon named Metalicana shot back.

"Grandine is right, Metalicana, to kill these children now would only be a waste of life." the red dragon said.

"You're too soft, Igneel! We just destroyed their entire kingdom, what future do they have?!" Metalicana shouted.

"To stereotype all humans as evil is foolish, Metalicana." the blue dragon said.

"Aquaria is right, the children will go unscathed." Grandine said.

"But what will we do with them? They're only children, they've no chance of surviving on their own." Aquaria said.

"Humans! Your kingdom burns, and you are most likely the only survivors of this war. What will you do now?" Igneel bellowed, bringing his long scaly head down to meet Alexia's gaze directly.

"That's not your concern, monster!" Alexia shouted back at him.

"Monster? That hurts my feelings, girl, I am no monster. I am Igneel, King of the Fire Dragons!" he roared, flapping his wings and letting out a breath of fire into the sky.

"I say we raise them as our own." Grandine said, earning her three looks of shock from her dragon friends.

"Nonsense! How could we raise humans as our own? Humans are violent, impulsive and chaotic!" Metalicana roared.

"What exactly did we just get finished doing? We destroyed an entire _kingdom. _That sounds violent, impulsive and chaotic if you ask me." Aquaria said, as Igneel chuckled at his comment.

"You wouldn't be able to _force_ a human under my care!" Metalicana shouted, as Igneel shot him an angry look and whipped him across the face with his tail, sending his head crashing into the ground and shaking the earth.

"YOU DO AS I TELL YOU!" Igneel roared.

"Is it agreed then?" Grandine asked, as the other two dragons nodded. "Shall I wipe their memories then? We wouldn't want them to grow up with a hatred of dragons."

"Yes, but it seems there are five children and only four of us. One must die." Igneel said.

"Leave the pink-haired boy and take the rest." Aquaria said as they closed the gap between them.

"Wait!" Natsu/Abel shouted, stepping to the head of the group, "Leave my sister alone. Take me instead."

"No, Onii-chan!" Alexia shouted, but he held up his hand to signal her to stop.

"It'll be okay, Alexia. You'll come find me later, right?" he asked her.

"Y-Yes, of course. Be safe, all of you." she said, turning and pulling her family into a group hug before having to quickly release them.

"Pink hair... you're of the Royal Family then, boy?" Igneel asked Natsu/Abel, and he nodded in response.

"So you're already accustomed with Dragon Slayer magic. That makes my life much easier. I'll take the boy, Metalicana, you take the black-haired one. Aquaria, the blue-haired boy and Grandine, the blue-haired girl. Wipe their memories of their past life, but leave the pink-haired girl as she is." Igneel commanded.

"Why me?!" she shouted at Igneel.

"Hmm. This boy is your brother, no?" Igneel said, and she nodded. "Family is the most important thing to any living being, not only dragons. To leave you without a memory of your only brother would be truly cruel. You'll be reunited one day." he said, and with that, the four dragons scooped the children up and onto their backs and flew off into the sky, the four children unconscious from having their memories modified as they flew up and over the mountainside.

***End of Flashback* **

"I thought I might never see you again, Onii-chan. I had no idea if you were even alive, including our cousins. I felt like dying, I was all alone in the world, not a single family member to comfort me or make me feel better. If I can do it, then you definitely can, Onii-chan." Alexia said, finishing her story.

"Wow... I don't know what to say." Natsu said.

"Even on the cloudiest of days, there's always the calm after the storm. Even after our kingdom fell, the Rose family continued to live on. Even when it rains, you know what a Rose needs to bloom, Onii-chan?" she asked him.

"What?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Sunshine, of course! What's _your_ sunshine, Onii-chan?" she asked him.

"S-Sunshine?" he said, his voice faltering as he remembered the night he supposedly proposed to Lucy, and the feeling of her hair in his fingers as they danced. _Like a waterfall of sunshine, _he remembered himself thinking.

He slowly turned his head to face Lucy, who looked at him with equal interest as they simply gazed into eachother's eyes. She blushed a little and held her hands behind her back, pretending not to be interested in him, even though she shot quick glances at him to see if he was still staring.

_She's... beautiful. _Even if Natsu hadn't admitted it to anyone or even himself before, he couldn't help but feel hopelessly infatuated by the sight of the blonde woman standing in front of him. Her hair, even if she hadn't brushed it this morning, fell down her back like a waterfall as it swayed slightly when she moved. Her body was even more curvaceous and thick than Yukino's, and it often subconsciously garnered his attention when she walked. It was like Natsu was finally defogging his eyes, and could see his friend clearly in the light he had never been able to see her in before.

Even as his eyes went soft and his heart beat loudly in his chest, a sense of anger arose inside of him along with his infatuation. _How have I been so stupid as to not notice her like this before? _he thought. _Why isn't this girl mine? She has to be mine. Nobody else can have her, she belonged to me the day we met in Hargeon. _

"Lucy, you love me right?" he asked, catching her off guard as she went red in the face for a moment, but ultimately nodded.

"Would you mind if I... took you as my own? I... can't bear to part ways with you, Lucy. Nobody else can have you but me." Natsu said, looking her fiercely in the eye as he edged closer to her.

"What- what are you saying..." she said nervously.

Natsu stopped moving and slammed his fist down on a wooden table, breaking it under the force of his hand as it splintered loudly. His skin was being replaced on and off by his red scales, and Lucy noticed his horns beginning to poke out of his head. Natsu tried to restrain himself, entering an incomplete form of his Primal Dragon Force as he tried to back himself into a corner so he wouldn't come any closer.

"I need an answer, now! I don't know if I can control myself! I love you, Lucy, and I want to claim you as my own, but I don't want to force it on you... just, don't come any closer..." he said, his claws leaving long scratch marks on the wall.

_He wants to... mate with me? _Lucy thought to herself. _He loves me that much... _

"Do you really love me that much, Natsu?" she asked as she took a step towards him.

"Y-Yes, so much that it hurts..." he said, clutching his chest.

Her eyes watering, she ran forward and pulled him close to her as she kissed him fiercely, and Natsu was taken by surprise but welcomed her soft lips. Just as he had kissed her on the night he "proposed" to her, he ran his clawed hand through her silky smooth blonde hair as she wrapped her legs around his back, running her fingers through his own hair. Natsu completely gave into temptation and pulled away from her slightly and his scales fluctuated with a red aura as he bit into her neck, drawing blood and causing her to yelp in pain. He licked at her fresh wound, healing it with his saliva as she breathed heavily in his arms as the guild looked on in complete awe.

"What the hell did I just watch..." Gajeel said, sweat dropping.

"It's just like a romance novel." Levy squealed as she clutched Pantherlily so tightly he was unable to breath.

"I thought he could only do that once?" Wendy asked.

"I'm sure there's some special exception. It is Natsu, after all." Lisanna said with a sigh.

Taking his new mate in his arms as she began to drift off to unconsciousness, he wrapped his beloved scarf around her neck and carried her upstairs to lay her down in bed. Kissing her on the forehead and returning downstairs, the guild just looked at him with the same dumbfounded expression as he yawned and sat down in a chair, leaning against the wall and saying to himself,

"Man, that takes a lot out of you. Mating is hard work."

"NATSU!" the guild roared, caused him to fall backwards and hit the floor with a _thud. _

"What?!" he asked in response.

"HOW CAN YOU DO THAT SO CASUALLY AND THEN SIT DOWN AND ACT LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED?!" Erza screamed at him.

"Mating is as natural as breathing to a dragon, and I'm tired! Sorry!" he said in an irritated tone.

"So... should we celebrate?" Cana asked, unsure of herself.

"I don't know. Should we be celebrating, Natsu?" Gray asked him.

"Sure. Oh, and if any of you touch Lucy while she's sleeping, I'll rip your throat out. Enjoy the partying!" he said, getting up off the floor and stepping out of the inn and walking out into the street, leaving a nervous vibe in the air.

_What a great day to be alive! _Natsu thought happily as he strode through the street with a grin on his face. Taking a short walk around Crocus, he returned to the inn to find that the party had already commenced, and people were jumping off tables and brawling as they usually did back in Magnolia. Going upstairs to check on Lucy, he entered her room and found his sister Alexia sitting at her bedside, watching her snore quietly.

"I didn't know Lucy snored." she said with a giggle.

"Yeah, only when she's really tired, though. Thanks for watching her." Natsu said, taking a seat on her bed next to his sister.

"Don't mention it. Isn't it about time for the next day of the Games to start?" she asked him.

"You're right, I completely forgot! But, I can't leave Lucy alone..." he said, looking down at her.

"It's okay, Onii-chan, I'll look after Lucy! You go on ahead, the guild needs you there beside them the most." Alexia said with a smile.

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Natsu said in disbelief.

"You sound surprised that I'd do you a favour. Besides, Lucy is my friend too." she replied.

"Thanks, Alexia! We'll win this thing for sure!" he shouted, flashing his trademark grin that he hadn't used in a while.

"I know we will. Now, get going!" she said, shoving him to the door as he waved goodbye. Assembling his guild, they piled out the door and set out for the arena, their faces full of determination.

_Yukino... I'll win this for you, I promise. _


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Hello everyone. This chapter is going to have an extra long AN which I promised last chapter but forgot to do because I hastily uploaded the last chapter before I went to bed for the night. I know there are quite a few people that are displeased with the rather sudden change of pairing and main character death, some have even gone as far to say they hate the story now or call me names. In retrospect, yes, I should've changed the pacing of Natsu's relationship with Lucy. Do I think I shouldn't have killed Yukino? Not necessarily. Yukino's sudden death was meant to be a huge obstacle and roadblock Natsu would have to overcome, not some random impulse to switch the pairing. **

**And to the people that spite me for "switching to NaLu" or killing Yukino, please shut the fuck up. You're under no obligation to read my story, and if you're displeased with my writing and would like to tell me so, send me a RESPECTFUL (key word) message or review, and I will be more than happy to discuss my reasoning with you. Do I wish a lot of the things about the previous chapter were different? Of course. It's discouraging to see "I hate this story now" or "You're a fucking idiot" in the reviews because I made a hasty decision with the plot. **

**I also understand some people were confused with the whole "afterlife/dream/alternate world" vibe I had going on in Ch 9 and 10, so I'm going to explain it to the best of my ability. Natsu "dies" or rather goes into a comatose state after the severe beating he received from Yukino (some say it's uncharacteristic of her to beat her husband but it was in a fit of rage and an instinctual desire to claim her mate as her own, not to mention everyone has their moments of weakness) and goes into a Purgatory-like plain of existence where he meets his deceased father. **

**With that said, Natsu chooses the first door, returning to the past all the way back to the original GMG at the point of the afterparty. This is where the line between reality and whether it's all a dream gets fuzzy, because I never elaborated whether that whole exchange with his father was just the effect of a coma-induced dream or if it really happened up until the point where he "returned in time", which is where the dream began. If you don't believe in the afterlife, you can chalk the Purgatory scene up Natsu's imagination but I believe that it did happen and by some force, he wasn't allowed to return in time. **

**To clarify, the Purgatory scene was not a dream. The proposal to Lucy at the GMG was. Once again, don't mistake Yukino's death as an impulse plot twist to switch the pairings, I still very much liked NaYu but as an author it was getting difficult to write and I was trying hard to avoid writing some harem fic where Natsu ends up with his sister or something crazy. People that say they hate or cannot read the story any longer, I'm sorry it's either not to your liking or that you really despise NaLu. To the people that will continue to stick with the story, I guarantee the quality of the writing will only get better from here on out. **

**I can't really call it a NaYu fic anymore, but the quality and style of writing and fight scenes won't be changing (improving rather) and I think it would be sad if you all didn't see it through to the end. This is only my second fic, and it's a damn good one if I say so myself, at least for a new author. By the way, if you're still enjoying the story, please do leave me a nice review or tell me what you like about the story. You'd all be surprised how far a compliment can go for someone. **

**Also, I apologise in advance for the late updates and probably shorter chapters from here on out, I've been really sapped of creativity for this story, and sometimes it takes a little while for me to get going again. One chapter might take me a week or two to put out, and another might take two days. I get really bad writer's block, as I'm sure anybody that writes fics does, and I think it affects this story the most in particular. If you don't follow me as an author, I might suggest you do so, because I write a lot of other fics (rather, I have a lot of fics in the works), and I'm sure if you enjoyed this one, you'll enjoy the others. Have a great day/night!**

**-Cameron **

**Chapter 11: The Second Battle of the Four Dragon Slayers**

Natsu leaned against the stone wall of the box seats in the arena, deep in thought with his eyes closed.

_What's… What's wrong with me? My wife just passed away yesterday and I'm already chasing after Lucy?! Am I just some animal that is able to move on so easily from a tragedy such as this? _he thought.

"Do not fret, Natsu. I can tell when you are worried about something." Mavis said, leaning against the wall next to him.

"It's just… have I moved on too fast? Shouldn't I still be grieving, shouldn't I be an emotional wreck?" Natsu asked her.

"The amount of time you spend mourning the loss of someone important varies between different people. Perhaps you only needed the one morning to release your angst and sadness, as opposed to Mirajane and Elfman, who mourned Lisanna's 'death' for years. It is natural to want to find solace in your friend Lucy, and I personally don't think you should be ashamed to move on. As long as you don't let your memories of your late wife leave you, that's all you can do. Do not be ashamed of true love, Natsu, no matter what the circumstance." she replied, nudging him with her elbow.

"Thanks, Mavis, it seems you always know exactly what to say." Natsu said with a smile.

"Don't flatter me. Let's win this thing, for Yukino, right?" she asked.

"Right." Natsu replied. "Wait, how could I forget?! Yesterday was the second day of the Games! What happened?" he asked.

"The second day was cancelled for the time being. Today will be the day they make up for yesterday with, assuming nobody else gets hurt." Mavis said.

A loud gong ringing throughout the stadium, the crowd fell silent as Mato-kun the pumpkin walked out into the centre of the arena as he always did to announce the beginning of the day.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the second-er, third day of the Grand Magic Games! Yesterday's matches were postponed due to an emergency, but we are pleased to inform that Fairy Tail's Natsu Dragneel has made a full recovery!" Mato-kun said, as the crowd roared with applause as Natsu smiled and waved.

"The theme for today's matches are… Master and member Tag Team Battles! The Master and a guild member of their choosing will do battle with another guild's Master and guild member! First up, none other than the two strongest guilds in all of Fiore, Fairy Tail and Sabertooth!" Mato-kun shouted, and the crowd roared in anticipation.

Natsu frowned and clenched his fist as he looked across the arena to see Sting smirking to himself. Natsu _knew_ that Sting had set up this match intentionally, as a means of getting revenge for a number of things he unintentionally did to him in the past.

"Natsu, who will you choose?! It can be anyone from the guild!" Gray said.

"Relax, Gray, I already know who I'm going in the arena with." Natsu said nonchalantly.

"Who?" his guild asked in unison.

"Wendy, of course." Natsu stated, like it was the simplest answer in the world.

"M-Me?!" she asked in disbelief. "Maybe you didn't hear, Onii-chan, but you can choose ANYONE in the guild."

"Yeah, and I choose you. What's the matter?" Natsu said, tilting his head and looking at her funny.

"Wh-What reason would you choose me for? There's plenty of stronger members to choose from!" she shouted in protest.

"Well, I think we work well together, and fighting alongside those I care about the most makes me even stronger, so we have a better chance of winning. Remember the training we did, Wendy? This is exactly what you need to step out of your comfort zone. Be fierce! You're a Sky Dragon Slayer, Wendy, it's time to soar!" Natsu shouted, pumping her up.

"You're… You're right! Let's do this!" she shouted with a passionate blaze in her eyes, clenching her tiny fists in anticipation. He followed her down the stairs and out into the arena as the crowd screamed and cheered at the arrival of Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer team. Across the arena stood Sting and Rogue, Sting looking at the pair with an angry sneer and Rogue looking a bit uncomfortable.

"You sure that was the right idea to bring her into the arena with you, Natsu-san? Anything can happen, you know." Sting said, licking his lips.

Extending an arm in front of Wendy, he replied,

"My imuoto can handle herself. She's stronger than you, after all." Natsu said angrily.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Natsu-san." Sting replied, taking the White Dragon Lacrima out of his pocket and tossing it up and down in his hand.

"You might meet with an unfortunate end after I'm done with you. Referee, get this match under way!" Sting shouted at Mato-kun, who nervously replied,

"Y-Yes, sir! The time limit is thirty minutes as usual, begin!" he said quickly as he scurried away to safety.

Taking the Lacrima and putting it against his chest, it began to fuse into his body as he grit his teeth in apparent pain. Once it was all the way inside, he fell to his knees, writhing in agony as his body and veins showed through his skin, glowing a blinding white. Wendy, whose first instinct was to help those in pain, began to step forward, but Natsu held her back, shooting her a look as if to say not to intervene.

"Sting!" Rogue shouted, putting a hand on his shoulder before Sting swatted it away.

"I'm... fine." he grunted, getting to his feet and stumbling a little. "I can feel Vicelogia's power... coursing through my veins."

Scales beginning to creep across Sting's body, and he seemed to grow a little in height, appearing taller than Natsu. Horns unlike Natsu's began to poke from his head, his hands and feet sporting claws and talons. A long and scaly white tail burst from his back, hitting the ground as he examined himself with a wide grin on his face.

"This is it! Primal Dragon Force! The power of the ancients!" Sting shouted, laughing hysterically and eyeing the two mages. "Rogue, hold back. I'll take them both on myself."

"But Sting, not even you can-" Rogue began, but Sting held out his hand to silence him.

"Do as I ask." he stated, and Rogue gulped and backed up, leaving Sting to stand against the pair.

"Wendy, let's go!" Natsu shouted.

"Yeah!" she replied, smacking her palm on the ground and erupting in white light, entering her own Primal Dragon Force which looked similar to Sting's but with the addition of feathers around her body and Natsu's curvy horns. Natsu did the same, his skin being replaced by his familiar shining red scales, as the crowd gasped and held their breath.

The arena was silent, until Sting's eyes darted to Wendy and he brought his palms back behind him, shouting,

_White Dragon's Carnage! _

launching a number of white rays which struck her unexpectedly, the beams of light stinging her skin as her scales smoked from the damage of his attack. She fell back to put distance between the two, as Sting seemingly teleported next to her and kicked her on the side of the head, sending her crashing down into the earth.

"WENDY!" Natsu shouted, as he grit his teeth and flew at Sting and traded blows with him at equal speed, launching a barrage of punches at the man as he blocked each hit. Sweeping Natsu's leg and sending him to the ground, Sting brought his fist down onto Natsu's chest, shouting,

_White Dragon's Razing Claw! _

knocking the wind out of him and chipping off a portion of the scales on his chest as he went crashing into the ground, sending shockwaves through the arena and leaving a large dust cloud in his wake.

Blowing away the dust with her magic, Wendy ran up behind Sting and jumped up and swung her foot around in a circle, catching him in the side and skipping his body around the arena like a pebble. Helping her partner to his feet, they both watched as Sting continued to skip and hit the arena wall, cracking the cement. Enraged at being taken off guard, Sting charged up a large amount of energy in his hands and was about to release it when Natsu came flying in at inhuman speed and headbutted him directly in the stomach, knocking the air from his lungs and leaving him helpless on the ground.

Rogue, who had been quietly observing from the side of the arena up until now decided that he had to do something quick, otherwise Natsu would surely beat Sting into a pulp on the ground. Molding an arrow out of shadows, he initially aimed for Natsu, but figured it would be more effective if he targeted the girl that Natsu was trying so hard to protect: Wendy. Launching the shadow arrow from his palm, it whistled through the air and almost hit the young girl directly in the back had Natsu not snapped his head around and grabbed the projectile mid-air, crushing it in the palm of his hand. Now, Rogue could see, Natsu was _furious._ Completely ignoring Sting, who was coughing and struggling on the ground, he launched himself at Rogue, mercilessly battering him with a barrage of attacks, and Rogue knew that he had stirred the hornet's nest.

Now bloodied and broken, Rogue lay on the ground helplessly as Natsu repeatedly punched him in the face, and he could see the dirty black and red aura emanating from his body.

"You... would... dare... to... attack... her... while... her... back... was... _TURNED?!"_ he snarled, with each word delivering another blow to the man's face.

"Let go of... my friend!" Sting roared, now standing on his own two feet as he let loose a _White Dragon's Roar, _knocking Natsu off of Rogue as he tumbled back and dragged his knuckles on the ground and got to his feet, baring his fangs and growling at them.

"Natsu loses control of his emotions too easily, especially when those he loves are involved. Rogue made a grave mistake when he intended to hurt Wendy over Natsu." Erza said, as the guild nodded in response.

"Will Sting and Rogue be... you know, okay? Natsu gets pretty vicious when he starts leaking that black and red stuff." Gray asked.

"I imagine as long as Wendy is okay, then they should be too." Levy chimed in.

Natsu stood, or rather crouched in front of Wendy, on all fours and growling menacingly at Sting as he ran over to check on Rogue.

"Rogue, are you alright?!" Sting asked nervously.

"Sting, I'm spent... you can still win, though." Rogue choked out in reply, his head hitting the dirt floor of the arena as he fell unconscious. Clutching his friend's hand in his, Sting released him and stood up, facing Natsu with an equally enraged expression.

"You hurt my friend... now, I'll hurt yours." Sting said with a voice shaking from anger, as he leapt at Wendy but was promptly whipped across the head from Natsu's tail, sending him flying as he hit the wall with a sickening _crack. _

_Chaos Dragon's Malevolence! _

he shouted, releasing a huge wave of dark red energy which collided with Sting, who was still pressed against the wall, exploding on impact and sending gales of wind and dust throughout the arena. Waiting for the dust to clear, Natsu squinted his eyes, only to see Wendy holding Sting under her arm, apparently saving him from whatever would've happened when that spell collided with him.

"Wendy, why?!" he growled.

"You _promised _you wouldn't use that magic ever again! Can't you see the fight is over?" she said.

"It's not over... until I say it's ov-" Sting began, but was knocked unconscious by Wendy as she promptly punched him in the stomach.

"But, they tried to hurt you..." Natsu said, his eye flickering back and forth from it's normal colour and the red dot.

"Do you see a scratch on me? I'm okay, Onii-chan, because you protected me. There's no need to be cruel to them, even if they weren't fighting fair themselves. Fairy Tail doesn't stoop to their level." she said, approaching him and taking his hand in both of hers.

"You're right, Wendy. I'm sorry." he said, his ears drooping as his eyes returned to their normal shade.

"It was a close match, but the clear winners are Natsu and Wendy of Fairy Tail!" Mato-kun shouted into the mic as the crowd roared in applause. Bowing to the crowd and waving to the stands, the two mages exited the arena and returned to their box seating, where they were congratulated their friends on their victory.

"You both did great!" Erza shouted.

"Well, Wendy did most of the work..." Natsu said modestly, before being whacked over the head by the girl in question.

"I certainly _did not _do all the work. Jeez, at your level, you probably didn't even need me to be there." she said with a sigh.

"Don't put yourself down, Wendy. We've done our part for the day, now we can relax and enjoy the rest of the day's matches." Erza said.

The entire guild sat back and relaxed just as Erza had said, thoroughly enjoying watching the other teams fight each other. Lamia Scale's Lyon and Chelia defeated Blue Pegasus' Ichiya and Nichiya, who then went on to be defeated by Kagura and Milliana. The scores for the second/third day were Fairy Tail in the lead with twenty-eight points, followed by Lamia Scale and Mermaid Heel with ten points respectively. The day drew to a close as the sun set on the arena, and the second/third day of the Games concluded. Natsu was too tired to carry Wendy home on his shoulders, let alone walk home unsupported, so Erza and Wendy carried him as he snoozed soundly with his head rested on Erza's armoured shoulder.

"He sure tired himself out." Erza said with a giggle.

"Aye, I'm surprised he fell asleep before the day was even over." Wendy said exasperatedly.

"I wonder what Lucy and Alexia are up to, they never showed up at the Games today." Erza questioned.

"Shall we go find out?" Wendy asked, as Erza nodded.

Upon entering the inn and leaving the celebration/party, the two girls, still carrying Natsu, ascended the stairs and walked down the hallway, stopping in front of Lucy's door. Turning the knob and entering the room, both Erza and Wendy clasped their hands over their mouths, dropping Natsu in the process and waking him up from his peaceful sleep.

"Hey, what's the big ide-AHHHHHH!" Natsu shouted as his gaze fell upon Lucy, who still slept peacefully but now with the added change of her usual blonde hair dyed the same salmon/pink colour as Natsu's.

"Shhhh! Don't wake her up!" Alexia whispered angrily from across the room.

"B-But her _hair!_" Wendy stammered out.

"I know, isn't it pretty?! Now we're all like triplets!" Alexia said happily.

_I wish I had pink hair too... _Wendy thought to herself as she played with her blue locks.

"Is she... doing okay?" Natsu asked, eyeing his mate.

"Yep! She's been asleep all day, but her fangs are coming in, see?" Alexia said, pulling open her lips and pointing to her new sharp canine teeth. "I imagine she'll probably be waking up soon, you should prepare some fire for her to eat, Onii-chan."

"Fire..." Natsu said, his voice trailing off as he was hit with the sudden realisation that Lucy was now a Fire Dragon Slayer, just like him and Alexia. _Just like Yukino when she changed into a Dragon Slayer, she's going to lose her ability to use Celestial Spirit Magic. Lucy loves her spirits... what have I done? _Natsu thought.

"What will we do with her keys?" he asked sadly.

"Oh... I never thought of that." Erza said solemnly, "It's not like there's anyone we can give them to, and I doubt she would want to part ways with them."

"We'll let her decide what to do with them, that's only fair." Alexia said, as they all turned their heads to face Lucy, who began to stir in her sleep. She grumbled and her eyes began to flutter open as she stretched her arms like a cat and sleepily looked around the room to find her friends crowded around her bedside.

"Hey, everyone... what's going on?" Lucy asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Sleep well?" Natsu asked with a smile, and she nodded in reply.

"Like a rock. What are you all staring at?" she asked with a confused tone.

"Um... why don't you take a look for yourself, Lucy?" Alexia said, handing her a hand mirror as she looked into it and screamed as she hastily dropped it on the ground as it shattered.

"MY HAIR!" she shrieked, examining her luscious pink hair and twirling it around in her finger.

"I'm sorry if you don't like it, Lucy." Natsu said, his ears drooping as he looked at the ground.

"Like it? I love it! It's so pretty!" she squealed with excitement, as Natsu sighed a sigh of relief and beamed back at her. _Crisis averted, _he thought.

"See? I told you she would like it!" Alexia said, nudging him with her elbow.

"You said no such thing..." Natsu said exasperatedly, sweat-dropping at his sister's antics.

"I'm starving, what's for dinner?" Lucy asked, scanning the room for food.

"Here, try this, Lucy." Alexia said, igniting her arm in flames and offering it to her.

"What?! I can't eat that!" Lucy said in disbelief.

"Actually, you can, you're a Fire Dragon Slayer like Onii-chan and I, and that means you eat fire like us as well. Try it." she said, nudging her with her lit hand. Reluctantly, Lucy bent over and sucked up some of the flames from her palm, and seemed hesitant for a moment but went on to devour the rest like an animal.

"Taste good?" she asked with a snicker, and Lucy nodded furiously. "Why don't you try your boyfriend's fire instead?" she teased, nudging Natsu with her elbow.

She didn't even protest being called Natsu's girlfriend and eyed him hungrily, as if demanding him to feed her. His face gone red, he lit his hand ablaze like his sister as Lucy devoured his own flames, her cheeks stuffed full with fire as she gulped them all down.

"Delicious! Thanks for the meal, Natsu!" she said with her magical smile.

"Yeah, no problem." he said, returning her expression. "Are you feeling well enough to walk?"

"Yeah, I think so." she said, throwing the covers off of her body and getting to her feet, her long and cascading pink hair falling to her side as she stretched, catching his gaze.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked, as Natsu shook his head.

"I just thought pink looks really good on you." he said with a grin.

"Stop, you're making me blush. But I thought it was _salmon, _hmm?" she said, causing him to do a double take and stammer out,

"I- It is salmon! Yeah, that's what I meant." he said, but everyone just laughed at his indecisiveness.

"How did we do in the Games today?" Lucy asked.

"Great! Wendy and I beat the brakes off of Sting and Rogue!" Natsu exclaimed, as Wendy shuffled her feet and claimed it really wasn't that big of a deal.

"I'm so proud of you two! Is there a party going on downstairs?" Lucy asked, as the four mages nodded. "Then let's go party! Carry me Natsu!" she exclaimed, plopping back down onto the bed and holding her arms out to signal him to carry her. Not missing a beat, Natsu scooped her onto his back as she wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing and shouting as they ran out the room and down the stairs. Alexia, Wendy and Erza hastily followed behind the pair, not wanting to miss the reactions of their fellow guild members.

"Yay! Fairy Tail!" Lucy shouted as they stood at the top of the stairs. The guild all turned their heads to meet the source of the new voice, and their reactions were what Lucy had expected. Gray began choking on his drink, and Juvia screamed as she desperately tried to clear his throat. Many girls "ooh"ed and "aah"ed, and many guys fawned over her new hair until they met Natsu's piercing gaze, and they hastily looked down at the ground.

"Oh, I know what this is! The whole guild is dying their hair pink!" Mirajane shouted across the room.

"No, it IS NOT!" Natsu shouted in reply, "Unless it's completely natural, I forbid anyone in the guild from dying their hair pink."

No matter how much Mirajane pouted, she gave up eventually, as Natsu was very against having his entire guild copy his hair colour.

"It does look really pretty though, Lu-chan!" Levy said, "You probably inherited that from Natsu, right?" Lucy nodded, and Levy slapped both her cheeks in horror,

"Does that mean I'll have hair like Gajeel's?!" she shrieked, as Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"I think you're in the clear, Shrimp." he said, as Levy sighed in relief.

"What are we all waiting for? Let's party!" Lucy shouted from Natsu's back, as the guild roared in unison and the festivities began. Natsu had to more or less babysit his girlfriend as she danced on tabletops with Cana and burped balls of flame that often caught people's hair on fire. She even completely destroyed Gray in arm wrestling, splintering the wooden table with the force of her iron grip.

"Lucy is really letting her hair down, eh Natsu?" Erza said, approaching him from behind as Natsu turned to face her.

"Tell me about it. I'm not sure whether her new found ability to hold her alcohol is a good or bad thing." Natsu said with a chuckle as Lucy gave Mavis a piggyback ride around the inn.

"Natsu... have you been doing alright? You've been through a lot these past few days." Erza asked, putting an armoured hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah... I think I'll be fine. It's just a lot to take in, you know? My life has completely changed over the course of a few days." he said quietly.

"Here, come walk with me." Erza said, taking his hand with surprising force as she requipped into a light blue sundress and led him out of the inn and out into the now-calm and empty streets. Lucy looked a little surprised, but didn't say anything and continued to party with the rest of the guild.

Releasing his hand and letting him walk side by side with her, they slowly traversed the winding paths of the city of Crocus in a comfortable silence.

"You know, Natsu, if there's anything on your mind, you can always tell me. I've known you as long as anyone, and I can tell when there's something bothering you." Erza said, squeezing his hand in her own.

"It just... doesn't feel right. Even though I love Lucy, I... I wish I had Yukino back. I wish none of this would have ever happened." he said, a few tears streaming down his face as they walked.

"I know it hurts, Natsu. I wish things could have been different too..." she said, her own voice trailing off as she recalled the day at the beach they had a year ago that felt like such a distant memory.

"I mean, seeing Lucy so happy makes me feel amazing, but at the same time, at what cost did her happiness come from? My wife... my child... _gone_." he said solemnly.

Erza couldn't put her finger on it, but the way he said that last word carried such an immense weight to it.

"Natsu, you said that Yukino disappeared, but she didn't explicitly... you know, _die?" _Erza asked, and he thought for a moment and shook his head.

"She kind of just exploded into a cloud of dust." he replied.

"I don't want to get your hopes up, and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but have you ever considered she might still be... _alive?" _Erza said, and his ears immediately perked up and his eyes shot up to meet Erza's.

"But... it just wouldn't make sense. Even if she was still alive somehow, I've mated with Lucy already. There's no going back from that, no matter what the circumstance. Besides, as much as I want Yukino to return, I have a duty to Lucy now. I couldn't go back on our bond, even for what I had with Yukino." he said, his eyes looking ahead.

"Yeah, you're right... Natsu?" she asked, and he turned his head to face her.

"Be good to Lucy. She's been through much hardship in her life, and I can only imagine that she's living her dream right now, being with you and all." she said, her grip tightening on his hand.

"Yeah, I... I will." he said, ending their conversation and letting the two walk in comfortable silence once again, their hands still intertwined.

_I can't imagine what you've been through, Natsu. I still haven't gotten over my feelings for you, but for now... this is enough. _


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: Hello again everyone! To everyone that has made it this far, thank you sincerely for reading my story. In all honesty, I'm not sure how much longer of a lifespan this story has, I guess that all depends on my inspiration and creativity after the Second GMG arc. I really don't like beating dead horses, but this story still seems to be doing well, so as long as I still get positive feedback, I'll continue writing. A little cheap plug here, I've written quite a few other stories (Two NaWen stories: one full length and one one-shot, two Ao No Exorcist fics I just started writing and a Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun one-shot) and I would greatly appreciate it if any of you guys took the time out of your day to read any of them. **

**This is just a personal thing that I do and I'm not sure if any of you other authors out there do it as well, but this isn't the only story I'm currently writing, or have even published for the matter. For works in progress, I still have a Natza fic I'm starting, a sequel to my original and first NaWen fic that I'm a little stuck on, a NaLi fic that might as well be dead in the water but it has like 4k words already written, my two new Rin x Shiemi fics that I've just begun (I quite like them both) and I occasionally will write a one-shot if I feel like it. Writing for numerous topics or pairings helps me retain creativity, and to anyone out there that enjoys writing as much as I do but gets bad writers block, give it a try. **

**I won't keep you all bogged down reading my A.N any longer, but enjoy the chapter! **

**Chapter 12: Erik Takes the Spotlight**

Erik awoke with a start, jolting himself out of a less than pleasant dream he had been having and sighing to himself. If it even made sense for him to have PTSD, he figured he did, seeing as he had finally come to terms with all the horrible things he had done in the past. Even though he was one of the "good guys" now, he still felt out of place at the raucous guild that called him a member of their family.

_How they can call me part of their family after I've caused them so much grief is beyond me, _he thought, stretching like a cat and throwing the covers off of his body. Erik had always been an early bird, and it was evident that nobody else in Fairy Tail was, because the inn was as silent as ever. Creeping down the hallway towards the staircase as to not disturb his sleeping guildmates, he noticed the door to one of the room was ajar. Although his better judgement told him to ignore it, curiosity got the better of him as he poked his head through the crack and peered inside. In a dogpile on one small bed were Natsu, Lucy and Alexia in an odd arrangement, snoring loudly and content as could be. Even if he found it odd, Erik couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous scene before him. Removing his head from the doorway, he was extremely surprised to see Kinana standing a few feet from him, her hands on her hips and a pout on her face.

"Spying, Erik?" she asked, and he furiously waved his hands to dispel her claims,

"N-No I wasn't, I swear! The door was open, and I just kinda..." he said, his voice trailing off.

"Right. Well, since you're already awake, you wouldn't mind helping me cook breakfast for the guild then?" she asked, almost daring him to disagree.

"Uh... well, you see..." he started, but Kinana wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Great! We can use the inn's kitchen. Follow me." she said, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him down the stairs.

In all honesty, Erik didn't really mind cooking, he actually enjoyed it. When he had been in Oracion Seis, he was the designated cook for as long as he could remember. To know that he was entrusted with the responsibility of cooking breakfast for the entire guild was something he was both fearful and proud of. He had never prepared a meal for such an audience, but figured since he was stuck making breakfast with Kinana, he might as well make the best of it.

"Sooo, what are we making for breakfast?" he asked begrudgingly.

"Whatever you feel like making, Erik. Your choice." she replied sweetly.

"Whatever I want... how about omelettes?" Erik asked.

"Sounds good to me. Let me know if you need any help." she said as she went to gather the eggs that Erik needed to make omelettes.

Working from the wee hours of the morning until everyone had begun to emerge from their bedrooms as they hungrily crowded around wooden tables awaiting breakfast, Erik slaved over the stove. Kinana assisting Erik in passing out everyone's food, the whole guild thanked the two for their efforts as they dug into their first meal of the day.

"Damn, this is delicious." Gajeel said with a single tear in his eye.

"Seriously, Erik, this is great! We should have had you cook for us sooner!" Erza exclaimed happily.

"Well, it's not as easy as you might think..." he said with a sigh. Cooking _was _hard work, after all.

"Either way, I propose a toast to one of our newest members! To Erik!" Erza shouted, holding up her glass.

"TO ERIK!" the guild echoed, as a genuine smile crept across Erik's face. _Is this what it's like to have a family? _he asked himself.

**Meanwhile... **

Sting slammed his fists down on the table, splintering the wood beneath him and causing his whole guild to recoil at his destruction.

"We are getting _destroyed _by Fairy Tail! We haven't _ONE POINT! LAMIA SCALE_ HAS MORE POINTS THAN US FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!" Sting shouted, as his guildmates averted their eyes.

"Sting, maybe it's just time to throw in the towel." Rogue said, and Sting shot him an angry look.

"Are you suggesting that we _drop out _of the Games?!" Sting said, seething with rage.

"Sting, isn't it clear that we don't stand a chance against Fairy Tail? Just because we were the strongest guild for a long time doesn't mean that it was meant to be that way forever. It would be a lot more enjoyable for all of us at Saber if we could just try our best and enjoy ourselves. It shouldn't matter whether we win or lose, just because you and Natsu have some personal grudge doesn't mean anyone else here does." Rogue stated, as the other members of Sabertooth nodded in agreement.

Sting was the only one that really disliked Natsu out of their guild, in fact, most members of Saber admired or looked up to Natsu. Rogue certainly bore no grudge to him, Natsu had shown Rogue courtesy and respect every time they met and he was greatly annoyed that Sting was unable to forgive Natsu for allowing Yukino to join his guild.

"I imagine you're doing all this to prove something to Yukino? To Natsu? Maybe even to prove something to yourself? It's pointless, Sting. If you have a problem with Yukino, go talk to her yourself. I haven't seen her in a few days, but I'm sure she'd sit down and talk to you." Rogue continued.

Sting wanted to shout at his friend, to punch him in the face or threaten him but the cold and indisputable truth had begun to set in: the grudge he held against Natsu had been completely unfounded since the day he started hating him. Sure, he still felt Yukino should have stayed at Sabertooth, but was it Natsu's fault that she wanted to join a new guild? Of course not, she had freedom to leave whenever she felt like it but instead she took all of their abuse until the point where she saw a brighter future in Fairy Tail.

"You're... You're right, Rogue. I've been a fool, all this time. Instead of facing reality, I created some delusion that Natsu had decieved Yukino and lured her into his guild, while I felt that she still belonged here with us. I turned a blind eye to the abuse that she received when she was still in Saber, and I couldn't accept that her leaving was my punishment for my negligence. I'll go talk to her now." Sting said much more calmly, slapping Rogue on the back playfully and exiting their guild inn.

Making his way to Fairy Tail's guild hall, Sting hesitated before entering the door. He knew that by all means, most people in Fairy Tail hated his guts, and he surely wouldn't be welcomed with open arms. Still, he needed to speak with Yukino in person. Pushing open the wooden door, the chaotic guild ceased their actions to glare at the newcomer.

"Excuse me… where is Yukino?!" Sting shouted into the crowd. Nobody said a word, and he asked again,

"Look, I didn't come to cause trouble, I just need to talk with her. Where is she?"

Emerging from the crowd to meet him, Natsu came face-to-face with Sting, a stoic expression on his normally cheery face.

"Sting, you need to leave." Natsu said.

"Natsu-san, where is Yukino?" Sting asked, growing more anxious to speak with her.

"She's… passed away." Natsu said solemnly, his words hanging in the air with a weight more immense than any physical object.

Sting couldn't comprehend what he was hearing, the idea that Yukino could have just up and died without him knowing was absurd.

"You shouldn't say things like that, Natsu-san! Stop playing games with me." Sting replied.

"Sting, he's not lying." Alexia said, emerging from behind Natsu and wrapping her arm around his.

"… H- How? I don't… I just can't…" Sting stammered, words failing him as tears began to run down his face.

"When she put me in a coma, she shared my injuries that she dealt, breaking our bond as mates until her life force ran out. I'm sorry, Sting." Natsu said quietly, his gaze not leaving the floor.

Knowing Sting, Natsu half-expected him to blame himself for Yukino's death, shout a few obscenities or even attack him. However, none of the above happened, which surprised him even more.

"I… I see. I'm sorry, Natsu-san. I'll be going then." Sting said, shutting the wooden door behind him as the guild continued to stare at the now-empty doorway.

"Did Sting-san just _apoligise_? To Onii-chan?" Wendy asked nobody in particular.

"Looks like it." Lucy said.

"Natsu, what should we do about him?" Erza asked her Master.

"Leave him be. He needs his space, especially right now. If he wants to come around to talk, welcome him as a guest." Natsu said, turning around and promptly returning to his seat.

"Any idea about what the Games for today will be about, Onii-chan?" Wendy asked him, taking the seat next to Natsu.

"I imagine that the crowd is starting to grow tired of the common battles, so they'll probably go for something more unorthodox." Natsu replied, letting out a long yawn.

As Natsu and his friends sat back down at their table, the loudspeakers throughout Crocus boomed with the message:

"We're sorry for any inconvenience, but the Games will be delayed until nightfall. This will be due to the necessity for darkness for tonight's event, we hope you understand."

"Delayed, huh?" Gray asked, kicking his feet up onto the table before Erza shoved them off. "What will we do in the meantime?"

"Not sure. Do whatever you guys want, consider it a day off." Natsu said nonchalantly.

"Do you want to go somewhere today, Natsu?" Lucy asked, clinging to his arm affectionately.

"Yeah, let's do that. Dinner?" Natsu asked with a grin, as Lucy nodded and pulled him off to a separate table to talk about something private.

"Well, Natsu and Lucy may be going out on their own, but that doesn't mean the rest of us cannot have fun!" Erza shouted enthusiastically.

"You know, this isn't a competition over who can have the most fun, Erza-san." Wendy said, sweat-dropping.

"Nonsense, I'll definitely have more fun than Natsu! Wendy and Gray, come on!" Erza shouted, dragging the two mages behind her out the door as Gray struggled helplessly against her iron grip while Wendy just submitted to her authority.

"Should I go with them, too?" Rin asked. Most people often forgot Rin was there, he was such a quiet guy.

"Trust me Rin, you might not want to." Erik said, who had also been quietly sitting at their table and not making a sound. Erik preferred to listen than be heard, he wasn't too fond of conversation in the first place.

"Maybe you're right. I think I'll just take a walk." Rin said, getting to his feet and departing after the trio that had just left.

"I wonder if Rin feels like he's fitting in here at Fairy Tail." Mira chimed in.

"Kid was alone most of his life, it's only natural he might be more shy than everyone else." Laxus replied, walking over to their table and taking a seat in Erza's absence.

"But shouldn't we try to make him feel welcome?" Mira asked.

"Sometimes, people just need a little space to figure out whether they belong or not. Give him time." Laxus said, crossing his arms.

"I see… well, I'm not doing anything tonight, what about you Laxus?" Mira said, flashing her smile at him.

"I suppose you're going to ask me to dinner?" Laxus said, and she feigned surprise and nodded.

"Not much else to do." he said gruffly, and Mira beamed back at him and hurried off to her room to pick her outfit and make preparations.

After Laxus got up and left to go buy some proper dinner attire, the only remaining members of their group were Erik, Gajeel and Levy.

"I'm going to take an educated guess and say you don't feel like doing anything with us tonight, Erik?" Levy asked him, and he shook his head.

"Suit yourself. Come on Shrimp, let's go get some iron." Gajeel said, picking her up with one arm and planting her on his shoulder, carrying her out of the guild.

_Great, all alone again. Can't say it's an unfamiliar feeling,_ Erik thought. _Why am I always the last man standing? Or sitting, I suppose._

"Erik!" Kinana called to him, removing her apron and approaching him as he opened his good eye and looked at her with a sideways glance.

"Hmm?" he said.

"Well, everyone else has gone off to have fun, and you're all alone, and I'm all alone, so I figured…" Kinana said, her voice trailing off.

"If you're going to ask me to dinner, don't bother, I hate noisy places." Erik said.

"Oh, no, that's fine! What do you want to do, Erik?" she asked politely.

"I'm not sure my idea of fun is something other people can get on board with." Erik said truthfully.

"I don't care, I'll do anything!" she said fiercely.

"Alright, alright, let's get going then." Erik said, getting to his feet.

"Where to?" she asked him.

"The woods." Erik replied, grabbing her by the arm and leading her out the door and towards the outskirts of the city. They had to walk a long ways to get out of the city, but Erik climbed over the wall carrying her on his back. Kinana had no idea Erik was so nimble and fleet-footed, but she thought it was very cool he could simply scale a brick wall hundreds of feet tall like it was nothing. Reaching the outside of city limits and approaching the wooded area, Erik seemed to relax greatly now that they were away from civilisation.

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you want to come to the woods, Erik?" she said, walking alongside him with her hands behind her back.

"There's a certain level of quiet you only find in the outdoors. It's probably hard for you to understand, but even the silence of night in a big city can be deafening." Erik replied.

"Is it difficult having such sensitive ears, Erik?" Kinana asked him.

"Sometimes. It can be both a burden and a blessing at times. I wouldn't give it up if I had the choice, even if I hear a lot of things I don't want to hear, there a plenty of things I could have never heard otherwise." he said, looking at her with a smile.

"You mean me?" she asked him.

"Of course. For example, I can hear your quickened heartbeat right now, the slight changes in your breathing… you know, the little things. I can't hear your thoughts, though. I've never been able to hear those." he said warmly.

"There's not much to hear…" she said sadly, as he stopped and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Out of all the sounds I've wanted to hear in my life, your thoughts are my most desired. What does she really think of me? What am I to her? Questions I've never been able to find an answer for." he said smugly, chuckling to himself.

"Eh? Why would you care about… something so trivial?" she asked him nervously.

"Because you're important to me, I'd like to know if you feel the same." he said simply, looking ahead with a slight red tint on his face

"Erik…" she began, her eyes getting soft and watering, she reached out and hugged him tightly. "You're special to me, too."

"Kinana…" he said quietly, before smiling and returning her hug.

_Doki-Doki._

**Later that day…**

The guild had reassembled at the inn, everyone having enjoyed their free time in the city of Crocus.

"Alright, the event starts in thirty minutes, let's get going everyone." Natsu announced, and they all compiled and followed their usual route to the stadium. Reaching their destination and making their way to the box seating, they casually waited for the announcer to reveal the setting of tonight's event.

"Maybe it'll be a test of strength? Or brains?" Levy asked nobody in particular.

"Seems too cliché. Probably something new." Gajeel said in an uninterested tone.

"At least pretend like you're excited, Gajeel." Levy nagged, and he waved her off.

After what felt like centuries to the crowd as well as the guilds participating, Mato-kun the pumpkin finally waddled out into the centre of the arena and tapped the mic to get everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we apoligise for the delay for tonight's event, but we assure you it is well worth the anticipation. Tonight's event will be called…" Mato-kun shouted, and before he finished, the arena began to warp and transform into a large and dense forest, which was bigger than should have been possible inside of the arena.

"HUNTED!" he shouted, and the crowd roared in approval.

"The objective of the game is that if you are the Hunter, to discover and defeat the members of the opposing guilds in the most timely manner! If you are Prey, then you must hide for as long as possible. Hiding for longer periods of time grants your team more points, and if you are discovered and defeat the Hunter, you automatically win the event! The Hunter will be selected from the leading team, which is Fairy Tail by a long shot. While they choose their Hunter, the Prey from other guilds will be… Chelia of Lamia Scale, Rufus of Sabertooth, Kagura of Mermaid Heel and Ren of Blue Pegasus! You have fifteen minutes to prepare!" Mato-kun announced, returning to the inside of the stadium as everyone in Fairy Tail worked themselves up over who they would choose.

"Choose Levy, she's the smartest!" Gajeel roared.

"What about Rin?! He hasn't even done anything yet!" Mira shouted back.

"Hello?! Have none of you even CONSIDERED Erik?!" Kinana shouted at the top of her lungs, getting the attention of her guildmates.

"Have you seen _these_?" Kinana asked, poking his pointy ears, "These ears are sensitive enough to hear people's thoughts and breathing. How can you just ignore Erik like that, like he isn't even on the team?" she shouted angrily.

"Kinana is right. Erik, it's your turn to compete. Make us proud, alright?" Natsu said, slapping him on the back and flashing a grin at him.

"R- Right." Erik said nervously.

Making his grand entrance to the arena by simply jumping down from the stands, he tore off his jacket to reveal his muscle shirt as the female viewers screamed in delight.

"Unnecessary fan service!" Mavis shouted from the ledge of her guild's box seating.

"Prey, you have one minute to hide. Go!" the loudspeaker announced as the other guild members scrambled off into the forest to claim their spots. Once the one minute had expired, a gong sounded as fog spread throughout the forest, giving an eerie vibe to all who were watching.

_Magical fog? It's like it's designed to counter my hearing,_ Erik thought. _That doesn't matter, my guild is counting on me. She's counting on me. I can't lose._

Turning around once more and flashing his grin at the violet-haired woman, he set off into the murky forest, blissfully unaware of what would happen to him in that foggy free-for-all.


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Welcome back everyone! I hope the previous Erik-centric chapter was to your guys' liking, I can't really tell because I only got one review. Please, let me know whether you guys are still enjoying the story and if the chapter was enjoyable to read. I appreciate all feedback, good or bad (yes, even bad) and it's a little discouraging not to hear what people have to say.**

**Chapter 13: The Fog Rolls In**

Erik felt an ice-cold chill run down his spine the moment he set foot into the small forest as the fog enveloped the entire environment with it's eerie tendrils. There was something off about this fog, and it didn't sit right with him. His vision only reached about five feet in front of him, and he hadn't the first clue as to where his Prey was. Even more odd was the fact that the forest was completely and utterly silent. The only audible noise was the crunching of grass underneath his boots, which sounded deafeningly loud in the current silence. Erik felt his increased heart rate with his hand, a slight ringing in his ears that were so used to at least some form of ambient noise. He wondered whether being the Hunter was such an advantage as opposed to being Prey, but he quickly put that thought to the back of his head. He needed to keep his head in the game, or he would surely be taken out swiftly.

Taking a moment to compose himself, Erik tested the numerous methods he employed to track his normal human targets. Sniffing the air, the results proved inconclusive as the fog seemed to eliminate all scent inside it's barrier. Sight was out of the question for now, and Erik didn't dare put his ear to the earth for fear of being attacked from behind. Erik had never felt so, for lack of a better word, blind. He relied on his senses more than other humans, and to hear nothing but pure silence, see only white mist and smell absolutely nothing terrified the young man.

Even though such a sound wasn't foreign to him, he was caught off-guard by the sound of another set of boots crunching on the grass around him. Or was it two pairs? Three? Erik could not even comprehend what was going on around him, he couldn't see his opponents but he could hear them all too clearly.

"Since the only way we can win besides hiding is taking you down, we've teamed up just this once." he heard a female voice call from inside the fog's cover.

Pouncing from his position to where he perceived the voice to be coming from, he was met with another empty patch of grass as he was hit with a strong but sharp gust of wind from what he figured was Kagura's sheathed sword, Archenemy.

"Can't fight what you can't see, eh?" he heard a male voice call from further away as he was hit with a blast of some magical energy and knocked to the ground. _It sounds smug enough to be Rufus, _Erik figured.

"You know, you really shouldn't have played this one, Mister! You should have let Wendy take your place, at least she puts up a fight." he heard a girly voice call behind him as he was slashed by a gale of dark wind, cutting his arms as he protected his face instinctively. _Chelia_, he thought.

"Baka, it's not like I want to gang up on you or anything." he heard a manlier voice call as he was knocked down into the ground by a burst of air above his head. _Isn't that the tsundere guy? Ren?_ Erik thought.

Watching from the Lacrima Vision, everyone in the stadium held their breath as Erik was repeatedly battered by attacks from all four of the other guilds. This was especially painful to watch for Kinana, who held her hand over her mouth as she helplessly watched the man she loved getting destroyed and being unable to do a thing.

"That's totally unfair!" Alexia shouted, "That's a flaw in the rules!"

"Clearly, this event wasn't created at the advantage of the Hunter." Erza agreed.

Noticing Kinana shaking like a leaf and not saying a word, Lucy put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her saying,

"Don't worry, Kinana, Erik is going to be fine. He's a member of Fairy Tail, right?"

Kinana nodded, and Lucy continued,

"Everyone in Fairy Tail gets stronger when they have someone they want to keep fighting for, somebody that keeps them going even when things aren't going our way. Don't give up on him yet."

Wiping away her few tears, she nodded with a new smile on her face and turned her head back to the Lacrima Vision with a new hope in her eyes.

"Giving up already?" Kagura called from inside the fog as Erik struggled to remain on his feet.

As he felt his strength waning, Erik recalled the time when he was still in prison and longed to see the outside world once more in his lifetime. He yearned to see the luscious forests and countrysides of Fiore, to smell the sweet breeze of the outdoors and to hear the familiar sounds of nature that he had grown accustomed to over the years. He had been moping silently in his cell as he usually did when a guard approached his cell, stating,

"You have a gift from a visitor. It came with a note too."

Sliding something through the flap in the glass wall, the guard left him as he sighed and turned around to see what he had been given. It was a simple apple, with a paper note attached with tape. Setting the apple to the side, he unfolded the paper and read it aloud:

"I hope I can hear your voice once more, Erik."

It has no name written on it, but he immediately knew who had sent it. Taking the apple in his hand again, he turned it about and about like it was a precious jewel that needed careful inspection. He smirked to himself, as he leaned against the glass wall of his cell and looked up at the ceiling.

"I do too." Erik muttered to himself.

_That's it!_ Erik thought, feeling a stroke of brilliance come across his mind as he got to his feet, shakily but successfully.

"Mister, can't you just stay down?" Chelia called to him.

Chuckling to himself, Rufus frowned at Erik and asked,

"What's so funny?"

Turning to face him directly, Erik grinned and replied,

"I can hear you."

Launching to the side and away from Rufus' voice, his fist caught Rufus directly in the jaw and sent him spiraling into the nearby tree.

"Imp- Impossible! How did you know I was there?" Rufus called out angrily.

Letting out an audible click with his tongue, Erik said,

"There's more than one way to hear somebody, you know."

_No, he doesn't mean… echolocation?!_ Rufus thought frantically.

_Poison Dragon's Whip!_

Erik shouted, lashing out at Rufus and catching him by the leg. Unable to free himself, Erik whipped Rufus around in a circle above his head and let him loose, sending him flying as he skid across the ground and bounced into a tree as it splintered from the force. Groaning to himself, Rufus looked for Erik amid the fog but couldn't locate him. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, Rufus turned around in horror as Erik snapped his fingers directly next to his ear, letting out a huge wave of sound that made an earsplitting racket throughout the entire stadium as the crowd and guild members held their palms over their ears.

"Turn down the volume!" Mavis shouted feebly.

Falling to the ground with an unresponsive expression on his face, Rufus was down for the count.

"Oh shit, that might have been a bit too loud for this guy. Well, you might have a ringing in your ears for about a week, but you should be fine. I'll be borrowing this." Erik said, removing his feathered hat and placing it on his head.

"Tch, I'm the only other guy that can pull that off." Gray muttered to himself as the guild sweat-dropped in the background.

"I suppose it's no use hiding from you anymore." Ren said as he emerged from the thick fog to meet Erik directly.

"Even if you've beaten Rufus, I, Ren Akatsuki, will-" Ren began.

"Your fly is down." Erik pointed out callously.

As Ren quickly averted his gaze and checked his fly, Erik hit him with a _Poison Dragon's Sword Horn_ in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him and sending him deep into the forest and far out of sight.

"I kid, your fly wasn't down. That makes two." Erik said with a hearty laugh much unlike him.

_This is pretty cool, you know. Fighting for fun_, Erik thought.

The crowd roared with laughter at Erik's unnatural combat tactics, and Blue Pegasus was left to hang their heads once again in shame.

"Isn't he the clever one." Natsu said with a smirk.

"I wouldn't have expected something like that out of him." Mira chimed in.

"Deception is a Man." Elfman added.

"You might have made an idiot out of that man, but I won't be so easily tricked." Chelia said in a singsong voice as she skipped into Erik's view.

"I guess the fly thing isn't going to work on you. I'll try not to rough you up too much, I don't like beating up kids." Erik mused.

"I prefer young adult." Chelia pouted, stamping her foot on the ground.

"Right." Erik replied, rolling his eyes.

Making the first move, Erik's cheeks blew up to a ridiculous size as he let loose a _Poison Dragon's Roar,_ which Chelia dodged effortlessly as she propelled herself through the air.

_Sky God's Boreas!_

Chelia shouted, sending two currents of black wind at Erik who attempted to dodge them both as one looped back around over his head and hit him directly in the chest. Chelia proved a difficult opponent for Erik, who mainly relied on medium-distance to close range attacks, which she dodged with relative ease.

_As long as she stays in the air, I might as well be a sitting duck,_ Erik thought. _The air…_

Blowing his cheeks up again and bluffing that he was attempting another _Poison Dragon's Roar, _Chelia leapt into the air in anticipation. What she hadn't expected, however, was Erik to pounce on her with immeasurable speed and release the poison in his lungs, the area around the two exploding in a wide range of purple gas.

Chelia attempted to struggle against him, who pinned her arms down to the ground to prevent her from blowing the cloud of toxic gas away, but soon began to feel light-headed as she nodded off from lack of oxygen.

Getting to his feet and panting heavily, Erik flashed another toothy grin at the camera, proclaiming,

"Three down."

The crowd roared with applause as Erik defeated yet another member of the opposing guilds. Despite his disadvantage, he still managed to strategise and come out on top, which was admired even by the other guilds that had lost so far.

"So it's come down to the two of us, I see." Kagura said, approaching him at last.

"It sure looks that way." Erik replied confidently. "Hey. I thought that you were the leader of your guild, why are you even allowed to compete?" he asked.

"I'm actually just a member, our leader doesn't operate in the public eye. I'll have you know that I don't intend to lose to you here today, Erik of Fairy Tail. Or should I say, Cobra." Kagura spat, extra venom added to the end of her sentence at the mention of his old alias.

"My name… is Erik. Don't you forget it!" Erik roared angrily, his body erupting in a purple aura.

_Secret Dragon Slayer Art: Plague Dragon Mode!_

The poison aura that Erik emanated began to swirl with a new green mist, creating a sickly shade of dark green that coated his form completely and gave off the scent of a rotting corpse.

"The only thing more devastating than poison would be a plague. You'll soon regret facing me alone, Kagura!" Erik shouted.

"Hmph, you don't scare me. Come!" Kagura shouted, Requipping her second Archenemy and clashing with Erik in the centre of the forest. From the moment he got within feet of her, Kagura felt deathly sick and had a hard time keeping her balance as she dodged his relentless swipes from his clawed hands.

_I wont... lose!_ Kagura shouted in her head as she thrust out with her swords, piercing both of Erik's shoulders as he cried out in pain.

"ERIK!" Kinana shrieked.

Composing himself, Erik inflated his cheeks and let out a spray of a sickly green liquid, which sizzled on contact with Kagura's skin as she screamed in agony, dropping both her swords and furiously tried to wipe the substance off of her face.

"Two can play dirty, bitch." Erik growled as he kicked Kagura in the head with such a force that she flew backwards and broke about half the trees in the forest, eventually stopping at the edge of the arena.

Continuing his assault, Erik noticed that Kagura had all but given up, although her face looked severely burned and her clothes were extremely tattered. Launching herself at him with a very surprising force and speed, they began what seemed like an eternal close quarters deathmatch. Kagura was just as effective with bare-handed attacks as she was with her sword, but Erik's Plague Dragon Mode severely burned her fists with each blow they dealt to his body. Fighting tooth and nail, they scratched, punched, kicked, smashed and clawed at each other until they both could barely stand. Erik felt as though each one of his ribs were broken, and blood poured from his two open shoulder wounds. Kagura had deep gashes all along her face and neck from Erik's razor-sharp talons, and she was missing part of her right ear.

"Is all this... really worth... a stupid win?" Erik asked between heavy breaths.

"I could... ask you the same... question." Kagura panted.

"I need... to prove... that I belong..." Erik stated in a breathless tone.

"I have... to prove to myself... that I'm strong enough to win, on my own." Kagura replied.

"I think you've proven... you're just as strong as I am, Kagura. Can't you give it a rest?" Erik asked desperately.

"No, I have to keep fighting... no more running..." Kagura said faintly, her eyes fluttering shut as she lost consciousness and began to fall towards the earth as Erik quickly deactivated his Plague Dragon Mode and caught her before she hit the ground.

"Well, it looks like the winner is-" the announcer began before Erik also fell unconscious, slumping down next to Kagura's sleeping form as they lay in an odd human dogpile.

"It's a tie?!" the announcer shouted in disbelief.

As the bell rung that signaled the end of the event, all members of each guild rushed out onto the now forest-free arena to check on the well being of their competitors. The members of Fairy Tail hurrying over to Erik, Wendy immediately got to work on healing him as well as Kagura. With the added potency of her Healing Magic while using her Primal Dragon Force, Wendy was able to close all of their wounds and determine their exact injuries. Thankfully for Kagura, Erik's claws barely missed the vital point on her neck, and her own impalements from her sword didn't pierce anything important of Erik's.

"After a trip to the hospital, both of them should be just fine. I was able to reattach Kagura-san's ear, or the piece of it, and neither of them are in any mortal danger." Wendy stated, wiping a bead of sweat off her forehead.

"You really are a lifesaver, Wendy. We don't know how to thank you." Miliana said gratefully.

"It's really no trouble." Wendy replied with a smile as she got to work on healing the other fallen guild members.

"Erik, Erik, are you okay?" Kinana asked desperately, clutching his hand tightly in hers.

Coughing up a small amount of blood, Erik's eyes opened just enough to notice he had awoken, and he said in a weak and faint voice,

"How'd I do?"

"You were incredible, but never scare me like that ever again, Erik!" Kinana nagged between tears, overjoyed that her friend was alright.

"Great job today, Erik. Don't ever worry about feeling like you aren't a member of our guild or that you have anything to prove to us. You've always been a member of our family since the day you joined, and that hasn't changed one bit. You've made us all proud." Natsu said, praise apparent in his voice as the rest of the guild congratulated him on his victory, or tie.

_It sure is nice having a family for once_, Erik thought as he faded back into black.

**Later that night, at the inn of the Ordina Alba Rosa...**

"So they've won another match?" a hooded man asked the other members seated around a long table.

"Good. All is going according to plan." another stated.

"We'll extract the Dragon Essence in the Victor's Event, then?" a hooded woman asked.

"I don't believe that will be necessary. We still have this after all." a man said, removing a small jar from his cloak and placing it on the table. At first glance, the jar seemed empty, but upon further inspection held a shiny cloud of dust that shimmered like stars in the night sky.

"Is that really-" one member began.

"Yes. The life force of Yukino Dragneel." the man replied.

"Then she's still alive?" a woman asked.

"Of course she is, we cannot afford to kill her before we achieve our goal. To be quite honest, I never could have imagined our plan would have gone this smoothly. Slip the woman the pheromone to send her dragon instincts into a frenzy, she nearly kills her husband and their bond is severed as mates. When she begins to fade from our world, we collect her life essence, or this 'star dust', and then use it accordingly. She can still very well be revived." a man at the end of the table said.

"Why not return her to Natsu Dragneel? Surely he laments over the 'death' of his wife and child." a woman asked.

"Believe me, if there was a way that we could do this without holding anybody hostage, we'd have already done it. Should the opportunity present itself where we needn't sacrifice the woman, we can return her with our utmost apologies. We hold no vendetta against our Prince." the man at the end of the table said.

"At any rate, are you sure our goal is as pure as we claim it is? How much blood must be spilt to achieve the impossible?" a man opposite the end of the table said.

"This is all for the Rose Kingdom. The pages of our history has been stained with blood for centuries. A life or two is nothing in comparison." the leader stated.

Suddenly, the door to their inn was blown completely off of it's hinges, destroying a row of tables and chairs in it's wake. Stumbling to their feet, the members of the Ordina Alba Rosa looked to the doorway to see a large, muscular blond haired man with a large lightning scar down his right eye.

"I thought there was something fishy about you lot. Now, give my Master his wife back, RIGHT NOW." Laxus growled.

**I told you clowns that said "I can't read this story anymore after Yukino "died", keep reading! Think of this as a reward for not giving up on me, I wouldn't just kill off the main character for no reason lmao. Cheers!**


End file.
